Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali was sworn in as the Ninth Executive President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana this morning.
He took his oath of office, which was administered by the Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Roxane George, at 10:20h before a packed gathering on the lawns of State House in Georgetown, where his inauguration ceremony was held and culminated with a grand cultural presentation and brunch at the Esplanade, Kingston Seawalls.
In his first Address to the Nation after being sworn in for his second term as president, Dr Ali reaffirmed his commitment to be a president who represents all Guyanese.
“As I first declared on August 2, 2020, I am not the President of some Guyanese; I am the President of all Guyana. That principle has guided me and the government for the last five years, 2020-2025, and it shall remain my compass in the years ahead. My mission is unchanged. It remains to serve every citizen of this land, irrespective of creed, community, or conviction, ensuring that every Guyanese has a place in our national family and a stake in our shared future,” he stated.
The President went on to assure persons who did not vote for him at the September 1 General and Regional Elections that he will still work to develop their lives and communities.
“One Guyana is not a slogan — it is a lived ethic. Each of us are equal in dignity, equal in opportunity, and equal in respect. To those of us who did not support me, know this: I am your president too,” the newly re-elected Guyanese Leader committed.
See below for the full: Address by His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, on the occasion of his Swearing-in as the Ninth Executive President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana delivered on Sunday, 7th September, 2025.
The rising frontier
Thank you very much. To God be the glory and honour be to every man who helped in this journey and allowed us to be successful.
The Chancellor of the Judiciary, the Honourable Philip Pierre, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, all other members of Cabinet and international dignitaries present here from the region and across our international community, our Chief Justice, members of the diplomatic community, of course, the Cabinet of 2020 to 2025 and the Members of Parliament of 2020 to 2025, our former Presidents, former First Ladies, Speakers of the National Assembly, former Speakers of the National Assembly, all former members of the Judiciary and present members of the Judiciary, special invitees, special Guyanese. Every Guyanese is special; every single Guyanese, our dear Prime Minister, is there with his wife.
I stand before you this day humbled and exalted by the solemn honour you once entrusted to me to serve as your President.
I extend my deepest gratitude to all the supporters who laboured so tirelessly and with such selfless devotion to secure this re-election. The fervour, energy, and passion with which they supported my candidacy and the party will remain indelibly etched upon my heart. To them and to the leadership of the party, including our evergreen General Secretary and tireless Prime Minister, I owe a debt of profound appreciation. Please give the leadership of our party and the supporters a resounding round of applause.
I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all those who managed and superintended these elections. To the Elections Commission, to the hardworking polling staff and polling agents, to the men and women who braved the long hours to guarantee the smooth conduct of voting and the recount exercise, I say thank you. To our men and women in uniform who ensured the preservation of Law and Order throughout this period. I extend thanks for your continued dedicated service. I also thank the local and international observers, whose presence strengthened the credibility of this exercise, and who played an important role in ensuring that our democracy was preserved and our election was free, fair, smooth and well-managed. I thank the Chair of the Elections Commission, retired Justice Claudette Singh, and all the commissioners for their extraordinary work during these elections.
I extend my sincere gratitude to the outgoing Cabinet, I extend my sincere gratitude to that Cabinet whose hard work and dedication steered our nation through five challenging, yet highly successful years. Their efforts delivered unprecedented development, transforming the lives of our people and laying a strong foundation for the years ahead.
Just as I am thankful for their dedication of those who have served the nation, I am equally indebted to the steadfast support of my family. To my wife—whose love has been my shelter and whose quiet sacrifices are the unheralded foundation of my journey—I am grateful for this support. To my children, Zayd and Ilan, and my extended family, I am grateful for the patience, laughter, and encouragement that sustained me when duty demanded my absence. And to my parents, whose wisdom and values shaped my being, I offer eternal reverence to all of my family. To my parents, the love I draw from you is eternal. Your sacrifice is what helped to build me into the person I am today.
The love I draw from you, the people, and my family reminds me daily that leadership is not a pursuit of self, but a covenant of service. It is not for the benefit of a few, but for the upliftment of all. It is in that spirit that I have taken the Oath of Office.
From Essequibo to Berbice and Demerara, from Linden and New Amsterdam, to Lethem and Mabaruma, every strand of our national tapestry has spoken. Afro Guyanese and Indo Guyanese, our first peoples across the hinterland, Portuguese and Chinese Guyanese communities and people of mixed heritage all across the 10 regions of our country. One Guyana is not a slogan. It is a lived ethic. Each of us is equal in dignity, Equal in opportunity, equal in respect.
To those who did not support me, know this: I am your president, too. Your hopes and worries belong at the centre of our work, and the respect due to you will not depend on how you voted. The colours of Phagwah, the lights of Diwali and Christmas, the crescent of Eid, the drums of Emancipation, the joy of Mashramani, and the circles of Indigenous Heritage Month are not separate calendars. There is a single heartbeat of One Guyana.
We will not let yesterday’s hurts script tomorrow’s hopes. We will face our history truthfully and heal it practically by how we embrace and support each other now. Our first peoples were here before any ships wake. Their future will be secured and accelerated. I will spend as much time listening to Linden, New Amsterdam, and let them and Mabaruma as I do in Georgetown because the government must be seen, heard, and felt in every community. In every village, township and Ward, a broad cross section of our people of every heritage and hope has renewed our compact to live as One Guyana. That ethos is not a slogan. It is a practice to recognise each other as equal in dignity, to celebrate our differences as shared strength, and to ensure that every citizen has an equal claim to justice, opportunity and respect.
With fidelity to the Oath, I now turn to the mandate that you have entrusted to me. The elections are now behind us; the verdict of the electorate has been delivered. The people have spoken, and their will must stand unassailable.
I congratulate every party that has secured representation in our National Assembly. Now the time has come to embrace the higher call of nation-building. With elections behind us comes the responsibility to transform competition into cooperation. To build a partnership, the spirit of inclusion is not a passing sentiment but the foundation of my presidency.
As I first declared on August 2, 2020, I am not the President of some Guyanese; I am the President of all Guyana. That principle has guided me and the government for the last five years, 2020-2025, and it shall remain my compass in the years ahead.
My mission is unchanged. It remains to serve every citizen of this land, irrespective of creed, community, or conviction, ensuring that every Guyanese has a place in our national family and a stake in our shared future.
But such a mission is and cannot be the work of one man alone, nor of one party, nor even of one administration. It is the collective work of a people bound together by destiny. And it is only together, as a people united in vision and purpose, that we can achieve the progress our nation deserves.
This is why I stand prepared to join hands with all who cherish peace, uphold democracy, and care deeply for our nation. That includes not only the political parties represented in Parliament, but also our trade unions, our private sector, our religious and cultural leaders, our youth and women’s organisations, and our wider civil society.
Our greatest achievements as a nation have always come when we stood together, setting aside our differences and lifting each other up in the spirit of one people, one nation and one destiny.
Today, I recommit myself to that unity. I pledge to be a President for every community, every sector, and every Guyanese. The journey of the next five years will demand the best of all of us. It is only by standing as one people, united in purpose, that we can rise to meet the weight of this moment and the magnitude of what lies ahead.
The next five years will be the most consequential in our nation. History has placed in our hands the resources, the leadership, the opportunities, the partnerships and the international goodwill to transform promise into reality. But this transformation will not happen by itself. We need everyone on board.
In this spirit of shared responsibility, we must embrace our national vision, one that captures both the depth of our resources and the height of our aspirations.
Our vision is Guyana as the Rising Frontier—where oil fuels ambition, sugar and rice sustain, bauxite, gold, and diamonds anchor prosperity, and fertile lands feed a region; where vast forests and rivers prove that wealth and environmental stewardship can coexist; where a resilient people turn challenge into achievement; and where a small nation rises to shape the future of its region and the world.
But this vision will not materialise without a plan, and in our manifesto—together with our broader strategy for Guyana’s development beyond 2025, your government has set out the framework to turn ambition into reality.
That framework will require the structure of government to keep pace with the rapid growth and changing composition of our economy, our evolving development priorities and the growing global prominence of our country. Critical elements of our plans for Guyana by 2030 include seamless infrastructure between every region, digital infrastructure, advancing our new smart city, Silica City and a shipping and logistics hub, linking Brazil and CARICOM, thereby creating new markets and opening up new opportunities.
To achieve these plans, high levels of productivity and effective implementation will be critical, and technology and innovation will play an essential role. Transformation must drive economic diversification as well as human capital development. Labour must include manpower planning, whilst agriculture must ensure food security. Similarly, managing the forestry sector in a manner that maintains our environmental credentials will be key as we consolidate our position as global leaders in the fight against climate change. At the same time, the expansion of the aviation sector will require special focus, whilst Regional Planning and Community Development must be comprehensively reformed and strengthened.
Importantly, we’ll align ourselves with our allies and international partners to cripple transnational crime, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and every act of criminality that threatens or undermines peace, freedom and democracy.
My fellow Guyanese,
In the next five years, we will convert ambition into action and action into transformation. We will not speak in half-measures, and we will not hesitate to deliver.
Yes, our oil and gas sector will continue to grow, expanding production and revenue for our people. But why stop there? We will press forward with new exploration under a stronger Production Sharing Agreement, ensuring that the benefits are greater, the gains are wider, and the wealth is truly for the people.
But we are not a one-sector nation. We are building a diversified economy that will generate jobs, raise incomes, and secure prosperity. As part of our commitment to economic diversification, we will strengthen the traditional pillars of our economy—mining, agriculture, fisheries and forestry—ensuring that these sectors continue to provide jobs, wealth, and stability for our people. But we will not stop there. We will create new growth poles that drive the economy of tomorrow: world-class tourism, a thriving blue economy, competitive manufacturing, cutting-edge information and communications technology, and dynamic knowledge-based industries.
To foster deeper and more lasting national unity, I will operationalise the One Guyana commission with particular emphasis on public infrastructure, cultural development and national integration. Our procurement system will be modernised and strengthened with a tiered system to promote wider participation and ensure accountability and transparency. At the same time, our justice sector reform must be advanced and accelerated.
Guyana’s economic future depends not only on the ambitions and policies of government but also on the private sector –a private sector ready to drive wealth and job creation. Success will come when businesses pursue growth while ensuring fairness to their workers, upholding social responsibility, and contributing to the broader well-being of our society. It is this partnership between government and a responsible, forward-looking private sector that will propel shared prosperity.
And to support this partnership between government and the private sector, we must invest boldly in the infrastructure that underpins growth, creates jobs, and unlocks opportunities for citizens. In the next six weeks, planning and preparation begin for a suite of major projects: a brand-new Berbice River Bridge; a bridge across the Corentyne River with Suriname; a second gas-to-energy plant in Region Six; the establishment of an Economic Zone in Berbice; the construction of a deep-water harbour; the expansion of the Demerara Harbour; the building of our national digital backbone through the Digital Guyana Project; and fertilizer and natural gas plants that will make Guyana an industrial powerhouse in the region. The next 6 weeks will see these projects advancing on track.
But it has always been our philosophy that development is meaningless if it does not touch people’s lives. That is why a priority of my administration is to put more money in your pockets. We will reduce taxes, raise disposable incomes, and continue direct cash grants. We will build prosperity in every family and home.
We will also advance personal wealth and financial security. Over the next five years, we will bring more families closer to the dream of home ownership—because owning your own home is not a luxury; it is a foundation of dignity and security. We will strengthen financial inclusion so that every small entrepreneur—whether in farming, commerce, or innovation—has the access and support to start, grow, and thrive.
Community development is a central mission. We will install tens of thousands of new streetlights across the country. We will fix community infrastructure, be it roads, drains, sanitation, beautifying our communities, recreational facilities, ground and sporting facilities. Those are the priorities of the administration.
We will not only keep our communities safe; we will keep our country safe. That means building the strongest and most modern defence ecosystem in our history, one that shields us from every threat to our sovereignty and territorial integrity. At the same time, we will deepen partnerships with friendly nations, strengthen ties of security cooperation, and continue to repose our faith in the rule of international law, including the peaceful settlement of disputes. Improving national security also means modernising and strengthening our police, prison, and fire services by giving them the tools, training, and resources to serve with greater efficiency, professionalism, and trust. In this way, Guyana will stand strong, stable, and secure.
We will pay particular attention to examining ways in which future threats that emerge from misinformation through AI and digital platforms can affect the lives of citizens, destroy peace and safety, and undermine democracy. We’ll also pay close attention to global experience when confronting and addressing such emerging threats.
We will deliver world-class health and education services. As we roll out a first-class health system, every citizen’s health will be tracked from the earliest childhood, risks identified, and treatment provided. At the same time, our schools will be transformed into modern centres of learning, offering 21st-century education, digital tools, and enhanced teaching to prepare our children for the future.
We will also confront the cost of living head-on. Electricity costs will be cut by half. Water tariffs will not increase. No new taxes will be imposed. We will intervene wherever necessary to shield our people from unfair or predatory pricing. We will boost local food production—including poultry, fish, and vegetables—so that our markets are filled with affordable, fresh, locally-produced food.
We will empower our women, our elderly, and our youth. For women, we will remove taxes on personal health and hygiene products. We will build day-care and night-care centres to support working mothers. We will provide more scholarships and create greater employment opportunities. And we will intensify our fight against domestic violence –we must kill this now. For our elderly, we will raise pensions, send mobile health units into rural and hinterland communities, employ telemedicine and virtual clinics, and expand residential care facilities. For our young people, we will expand access to skills training, ensure free education at every level, make housing affordable, and invest in new sports facilities—including a world-class indoor stadium, a high-performance conditioning centre, and a cycling velodrome to produce champions for the world.
As I have said before, Guyana must never again be a country rich in resources but poor in living standards. We will also launch a national crusade against poverty itself. Not just the visible poverty in our streets, but the structural roots and hidden burdens that keep families from rising. We will fight it, reduce it, and ultimately eradicate it.
The key to delivering on these commitments lies in building a highly efficient, service-oriented public service, one that places the citizen at the centre of every action. We will dismantle the bottlenecks that frustrate citizens, cut away the red tape that slows delivery, and modernise the systems that too often stand in the way of progress. We will refashion a public service that delivers more online services, works for the people, responds with urgency, and executes with excellence. Because only then can the promise of development be fully realised.
Corruption undermines the efficiency, fairness, and credibility of public service. That is why we will strengthen our anti-corruption efforts by establishing a dedicated Anti-Corruption Unit, tasked with excising this cancer from our institutions and holding public officials to the highest standards of integrity. Every official will be required to account for their personal assets, and anyone who cannot do so will face the full force of the law. We will pursue both the corrupted and the corrupters, leaving no room for impunity.
On this note, I wish to emphasise that the government does not have a system of lobbying, and any person representing themselves as lobbyists or peddling access to anyone in government is misrepresenting themselves and misleading others. A special mechanism will be set up to deal with such individuals.
At the same time, we recognise and respect the essential watchdog role of the media, and we will ensure greater transparency by instituting mechanisms in every ministry and department that provide the facts in a timely way. Additionally, and of no less importance, we must hold those who are tasked with the dissemination of information accountable for their actions. They must be held accountable, also.
Our commitment to Caribbean integration is steady, practical, and visionary. We’ll deepen the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, advancing full free movement, mutual recognition of skills and qualifications, a truly single investment space, and a seamless payment system across our region.
In CARICOM, our purpose is practical and people-centred: to make this single market work for ordinary families with cheaper energy, faster payment and roaming, recognisable skills across borders, and scholarship and apprenticeships that open doors for youth.
We will champion regional energy security and competitiveness, leveraging Guyana’s resources and know-how, partnering with our neighbours to lower cost, expand manufacturing and build resilient, cleaner energy systems that power jobs and industry across the Caribbean. We’ll accelerate food security and logistics, modernising agriculture and agro-processing, opening new shipping and air links, and driving down the region’s import bill so Caribbean tables are fed by Caribbean farms.
We’ll strengthen collective resilience through disaster risk financing, shared emergency response, and joint action on climate adaptation, because when the sea rises or the winds rage, we stand or fall together.
And we’ll invest in our people, expanding scholarships, skills, partnership with the University of Guyana and regional institutions, and a digital corridor that makes roaming, e-commerce, and government services easier and more affordable for every Guyanese citizen.
Indeed, based on the recent approval granted by the Council for Legal Education, we will commence work immediately on the establishment of Guyana’s very own law school. This will enable hundreds of persons to qualify as Attorneys-at-Law right here in Guyana, with full rights to practice in CARICOM countries.
Additionally, within the next six weeks, we’ll establish 200 medical and engineering seats in Regions 2, 3, 6, and 9, making it possible for persons to equip themselves with skills in these areas without having to leave their homes or regions. These skills are in high demand, and we’re going to ensure that Regions 9, 2, 3, and 6, in six weeks, will be in a position to deliver education in every field of the College of Medicine and the University of Guyana, Faculty of Engineering.
Situated on the shoulder of South America, Guyana is both Caribbean and Latin American. We’ll deepen economic ties with our neighbours, expanding trade, investment, infrastructure, and knowledge exchange, so growth at home strengthens the wider Latin American and Caribbean community, and prosperity across the region creates new opportunities for every Guyanese.
On a lighter note, some inauguration ceremonies are in very cold weather. We are blessed with brilliant sunshine or rainfall. We had a basic choice today, and today, we are blessed with brilliant sunshine. Let us enjoy it.
We seek peace with all our neighbours and defend our sovereignty with a quiet confidence in the law and a steady strength of unity. Just as efficiency, integrity, and service must define how government works at home, so must collaboration and cooperation define how we engage abroad.
I remain committed to engaging our international partners in ways that safeguard Guyana’s sovereignty and advance our national interests. We will strengthen cooperation where it brings tangible benefits to our people, while ensuring that our resources and opportunities are managed to secure prosperity for this and future generations.
We recognise the vast potential of our Guyanese diaspora to be partners in the transformation of our nation. Therefore, through sustained and meaningful engagement, we will keep our diaspora informed, encourage their investments, and create avenues for participation in key sectors by tapping into their expertise, capital, and networks, as well as maintain regular outreach with our diaspora.
Furthermore, our world-class education and healthcare systems will be fully accessible to members of our diaspora, providing yet another reason for them to maintain and deepen their ties with home.
As we strengthen our place in the world, we must also fortify the team at home that will carry forward this mission. In the coming days, I shall announce my new Cabinet – men and women chosen for their competence, their character, and their fidelity to the people of Guyana. I will also announce a wide range of other key appointments across the public sector to ensure that the entire system is led by people committed to delivering effective service to the Guyanese people.
The achievement of our agenda will require bold decision-making, critical thinking, relentless effort, and a high degree of adaptability and agility to survive and prosper in an increasingly complex global environment.
My friends, this is not just a plan. This is a promise. This is not just policy. This is progress. Together, we will make Guyana the rising frontier—a land of prosperity, justice, dignity, and hope for every single citizen. The future is ours to build, and together, we shall rise to meet it. There is much work ahead. And for me, that work begins now. However, the responsibility for building a stronger Guyana belongs to every citizen.
My friends, let us not squander this moment. Let us not be consumed by the politics of division, distraction, or discord. Let us instead summon the courage to build and to advance.
I invite all of you to join me in this journey of continuity and transformation. Together, let us build a Guyana that is rich in resources and bountiful in opportunities. Let us build a Guyana that is more blessed with unity. Let us build a Guyana that is ever proud of its heritage. Let us build a Guyana that is more grounded in justice and inclusion. Let us build a Guyana that is prepared for its future.
Above all, let us bind ourselves anew to One Guyana — a covenant in which every child, every man and woman, in coastland and hinterland alike, is given the chance to learn, to work, to build wealth and dignity, and to serve. In that shared endeavour, each of us will find room to rise, and together we will build a strong, confident, united Guyana, worthy of the generations to come.
The measure of this mandate will be simple: how far the least served can rise, and how widely opportunity is shared. Let no child doubt it — in One Guyana, your name, your village, your faith, your family’s history will never limit your horizon. The future is yours to claim. Seize it and soar.
Have no doubt — we’ll clear obstacles, widen doors, and back your rise with unwavering resolve.
Before I conclude, I want to thank my partner, Prime Minister Mark Phillips, for his extraordinary support over the last five years. Thank you.
I want to thank the Vice President and the General Secretary for first realising in me some potential to serve this country, then working tirelessly to ensure I optimise my potential, and then contributing seamlessly and daily to the building of this Guyana we celebrate. The Vice President is not just the General Secretary and Vice President — he is my friend and brother, and I am eternally grateful to you. Please stand, and let us applaud you also.
To the heads of services who stood with me for the last five years, and all the men and women under their command, I thank them greatly for their hours and sacrifice.
And to the Cabinet — the 2020 to 2025 Cabinet — and parliamentarians, I ask you to stand and applaud these people for their sacrifice, the sacrifice of their families, and the extraordinary work that they would have put in to ensure their success.
To all the candidates for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic, I ask you to stand, and I ask all to applaud these candidates for signing on to a slate that they believed in, for signing on to a philosophy that they believed in, for signing on to a programme they believed in, and for working tirelessly to ensure the success of that plan and programme.
To all our supporters, to all of Guyana, to all those who stood with us, stood by us, stood for us, to all those who spent hours defending our philosophy, our plans, and programmes, I salute you. Today is your day. Today is your victory — as it is all of Guyana’s victory.
Again, to my family, I say thank you for your patience and your love.
May God bless each of you and the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. We are stronger together, and there is only one way forward, with the help of God and people.
Thank you.
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