Governance support among key features of new Guyana/ UAE agreement

Guyana and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have concretised government-to-government partnerships with the inking of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that includes the provision of governance support.

The UAE is among the richest countries in the world. The country’s rapid transformation was heralded by significant oil discoveries decades ago.

Guyana and the UAE have been deepening bilateral relations over the past year, with President Dr. Irfaan Ali, on Wednesday, stating that Guyana is hoping to learn from the UAE.

And so, the MoU on ‘Cooperation in the field of Government Development and Modernization’ was signed on Thursday in the UAE. Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar signed on behalf of Guyana.

This agreement aims to strengthen institutional capacity within the process of enhancing governance by mutually developing government practices, building institutional capabilities and skills and other areas of cooperation.

Cooperation between the two countries, through this MoU, may also include a focus on statistics and competitiveness, leadership capacity building, planning and strategy management.

The News Room understands that the MoU is valid for three years unless either country signals an intention to terminate it before.

Though Guyana has been called both “Little Dubai” and “the next Dubai”, President Ali said that Guyana is not in competition with the UAE.

“We just want to use the best examples, the best practices to do the best that we can do for the people of our country and region, giving them a better shot at life and a better shot at prosperity and ensuring that we use the resources to reduce inequalities,” the President said during a panel discussion hosted on Wednesday in Dubai, a city in the UAE.

Because the UAE was able to leverage its oil resources to aid its transformation, President Ali opined that Guyana has much to learn from the UAE.