Presidents of Guyana, Brazil agree to search for financing for integration projects

Last Updated on Thursday, 29 February 2024, 14:19 by Denis Chabrol

President Irfaan Ali announced that he and his Brazilian counterpart, Luis Inacio ‘Lula’ Da Silva on Thursday agreed to establish a working group to search for money to build transportation links between their two South American countries.

“We want to put together a technical working group that will commence working immediately to develop a mechanism through which we can have the financing and mobilize financing for the deployment of investments on the various projects to link our two countries, especially the infrastructure link,” Dr Ali said in a statement after about one hour of talks with Mr Da Silva at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

The Presidents did not take questions from the media after delivering their statements.

Guyana has already started construction of the Linden-Mabura stretch of road and has also constructed several heavy duty concrete bridges along the trail to Lethem, the most southern town with northern Brazil.  Brazil’s military completed the construction of the bridge across the Takatu River in 2009.

Mr Da Silva was accompanied by the Brazilian ministers of planning, transport, ports and airports, and regional infrastructure.

President Ali also announced that Guyana and Brazil would have “deepened cooperation in the area of defence and security”, but he did not elaborate.

The Brazilian leader announced that he asked President Ali to mount a business mission to Brazil “soon” to showcase Guyana’s business opportunities in mining, energy, petroleum and agriculture. “There is a vast field for the Brazilian business sector to make their investments in Guyana,” he said.