Jamaica and Guyana sign four cooperation agreements covering agriculture, defence, finance and trade

Georgetown — Jamaica and Guyana formalised a strengthened bilateral partnership on Monday, signing a protocol and three memoranda of understanding during a ceremony attended by senior ministers from both governments.

Guyana’s minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation and Jamaica’s minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, put their signatures to the documents on behalf of their respective governments.

The first instrument was a protocol amending the agreement on economic, technical and cultural cooperation originally signed in June 1995. The updated protocol broadens collaboration to include the energy sector, defence and security, financial services and capital markets, disaster response and recovery, climate-resilient housing and infrastructure, and cooperation in science, technology and innovation.

A separate memorandum on agriculture commits both countries to strengthening food and nutrition security through a strategic partnership aimed at mutual benefit and wider Caribbean advancement. Priority areas include institutional and human resource development, research and innovation, education and extension, trade facilitation, and support for the CARICOM 25 by 25 plus 5 initiative.

The Guyana Defence Force and the Jamaica Defence Force also signed an understanding on defence and security cooperation. That framework covers capacity building, information exchange, standing arrangements for bilateral talks, policy consultations, and exploring participation in multinational operations in support of international peace and stability.

A fourth agreement focuses on financial services, promoting cooperation to modernise financial infrastructure, strengthen institutions and build sector capacity.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who visited Georgetown and toured Kaieteur Falls during the trip, said the signings captured only part of a wider engagement covering energy, security, tourism, financial services, agriculture, housing and regional diplomacy. He described Jamaica and Guyana as closely aligned on global dynamics and economic outlook, and praised progress in Guyana’s public-sector reform.

Guyana’s president told the gathering that implementation had already begun, citing early private-sector interest in a housing consortium involving Guyanese and Jamaican developers and banks. He highlighted planned collaboration on energy through a working group, tourism and the orange economy, financial-sector integration as Guyana develops a junior stock exchange, expanded defence and cybersecurity training, and structured labour mobility to meet construction-sector demand.

The president also noted Jamaica’s recent entry into the Global Biodiversity Alliance and said both countries share ambitions for efficient, technology-driven governance and regional food-security planning.