Foreign minister defends hiring foreign lobbyists, two firms to be paid US$90,000 monthly

Last Updated on Tuesday, 10 February 2026, 22:08 by Writer

As the foreign affairs ministry prepares to spend GY$269.5 million this year on hiring international lobbyists to reach major political decision makers in a number of major countries, Minister Hugh Todd on Tuesday defended the decision to do so.

“It helps us to maneuver in the corridors of power to get to those offices that they need to hear from us and we don’t have the manpower on this side to do it so we use the lobby firms to help us to facilitate in moving in that direction,” he said.

Mr Todd replied, telling We Invest in Nationhood’s (WIN) Tabita Sarabo-Halley that previously three lobbying firms had been hired but two – DR Consultancy and Continental – would be contracted this year. He said DR Consultancy would be paid US$40,000 monthly Continental Strategy US$50,000 monthly. He said one of the companies is on a yearly contract and the other on six months.

Ms Sarabo-Halley questioned whether any of the firms were used to deal with any extradition matters in Guyana to which he said:”That is not within our scope as a country. We are dealing with promoting Guyana and ensuring that we are able to highlight those initiatives that we find pertinent to not only our national policies and national development but ensuring that we can more effectively execute our foreign policy agenda,” Mr Todd said.

Responding to several questions by Forward Guyana Movement’s Amanza Walton-Desir during the National Assembly’s consideration of Guyana’s GY$1.558 trillion dollar budget, he said those registered lobbying firms advocate on Guyana’s behalf rather than conduct its foreign policy and defence strategy. “That is why we have moved in this direction because it will help us to advance our reach and by advancing our reach, it helps us in promoting our foreign policy because they take direction from us we don’t take direction from them,” he said.

Citing Guyana’s level of development and the need to compete for the attention of “big States”, Mr Todd said their role was political rather than one focussing on promotion and business development.

The foreign minister further explained that accredited lobbyists, a number of whom retired, and seasoned diplomats could penetrate the offices of senators and members of the United States Congress.

Ms Walton-Desir asked whether the foreign affairs ministry had been taking steps to identify Guyanese citizens with competencies in a particular area before hiring lobbyists.

Minister Todd said his ministry takes advantage of members of the Diaspora who offer their services free of cost, but it is not the same as getting political access through many layers of government to “have a specific transmission and allow you to navigate more effectively.”

“When we’re dealing with a very competitive global environment and you, as a country, in the protection of your people and the advancement of your country, you need outfits that have the reach and the capacity and the human capital to do that,” he said.

Last year, the opposition had castigated the incumbent People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) administration for using taxpayers’ dollars to hire US lobbyists to target leader of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), Azruddin Mohamed. That was after two members of the US Congress had posted comments on the social media platform, X, against Mr Mohamed.

Mr Mohamed and his father Nazar “Shell” Mohamed, have been sanctioned in June 2024 by the United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control for allegedly smuggling more than 10,000 kilogrammes of gold and evading more than US$50 million in taxes payable to the Guyana government.

They were indicted in October 2025 for wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering, and they are currently fighting a US extradition request.