The Government of Guyana has expended a total of $56,270,055 from its treasury to finance overseas travel for President Irfaan Ali and Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo.
This information was presented during the 69th sitting of the National Assembly on Monday in response to questions posed by the parliamentary opposition, regarding the number of countries visited by the President and Vice President and the costs associated with these trips.
“Can the Honourable Gail Teixeira, MP, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, inform the National Assembly of the countries visited by His Excellency, the President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali from August 2, 2020 to May 17, 2023, and the costs associated with each visit? and can the Hon. Gail Teixeira, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, inform the National Assembly of the countries visited by Vice-President, Honourable Bharrat Jagdeo, MP, from August 2, 2020, to May 17, 2023, and the costs associated with each visit?”, were the questions posed by the Opposition
According to the data compiled in the document, the expenditure of overseas trips taken by the President for the period August 2, 2020, to May 17, 2023, equated to $35,973,449.
As for Vice President Jagdeo, his travel expenses for the period August 2, 2020, to May 17, 2023, amounted to $20,296,606.
The Head of State made 24 trips which were government-related or state business, while Jagdeo made nine trips. Notably, President Ali’s airfare and out-of-pocket expenses covered trips taken to the United Nations General Assembly (2021 and 2022), Caribbean Community Heads of Government meetings, energy conferences in Trinidad and Tobago, and investment forums in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
His airfare amounted to $32.1 million (US$150,964). Moreover, meals and out-of-pocket expenses and accommodation cost $3.8 million (US$17,925). As such, total travel expenses for that period summed up to $35.9 million (US$168,889).
The Vice President’s travel expenses from 2021 to 2023 were reviewed, including trips to the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), India, Ghana, and the UAE, for furthering bilateral relations and to the CERA Week energy conference in Houston, Texas.
His airfare totalled $18.1 million (US$85,274), while out-of-pocket expenses totalled $2.1 million (US$10,015). In total, the Vice President’s expenses were $20.2 million (US$95.2 million).
According to the document, the benefits derived from these trips included bolstering trade and bilateral relations with countries such as Canada, Saudi Arabia, and China; regaining the country’s leading position on climate change and food security; brokering investment opportunities with countries in the oil and gas sectors; and engaging Middle East states such as Qatar and the UAE on the establishment of new embassies locally.
