By: Pooja Rambaran
Come November, Guyana is expected to mark its attendance at the first-ever Caribbean and Latin American Business Forum based in Dublin, Ireland which will facilitate dialogue on business opportunities and encourage future Irish investments into the country.
During an interview with this publication on Thursday, outgoing Ireland Ambassador to Guyana, Seán Hoy discussed the current Ireland-Guyana relations, noting that this forum can play a vital role in strengthening the growing partnership.
“The idea of the forum is to determine what the interest is. I know a lot of Irish companies are sometimes a little hesitant about Latin America because they don’t understand the language, but Guyana has a real advantage there. I think there’s potential in the supply chain for oil and gas, for infrastructure. But also, on the soft side of things–teaching, health work,” Hoy said.
“I would really like to see Guyana come to Dublin to talk about the potential in your country, and to look for stakeholders, investors and good partners in the future. I believe there are many people in Ireland interested in hearing this and responding,” he said.
The ambassador added that Ireland is also willing to share their expertise on training and investing in the local workforce.
Guyana and Ireland established diplomatic relations in 2000. While an Honorary Consulate has existed in the country for some time now, Hoy has been the first ever Ireland Ambassador to Guyana since 2019.
As he is based in Brazil, this marks his final trip to Guyana in this professional capacity with a new non-resident Ambassador expected to take his place in August.
Hoy remarked on the tremendous progress he has seen in Guyana over the years.
“Guyana, to me, represents a country that is very fortunate because you have the ability to use natural resources–your oil and gas– in a way that is compatible with the challenges we have in the climate because you also have a very high level of forest cover,” Hoy said.
“The other important thing is [Guyana has] a small population so as the country becomes richer, you have a real chance with the right policies and leadership [to ensure] that everybody in the country benefits,” Hoy added.
During this final trip, Hoy remarked that he also met with President Dr. Irfaan Ali where he recognized Guyana’s strides in the agriculture sector and congratulated Ali on attaining the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) Award for Contribution to Food Security and Sustainable Development.
“In terms of agriculture, I think this something that everybody in Guyana should be very proud of because if you cannot feed yourselves, you have no security. And Guyana has the potential to feed itself and also the region,” Hoy said.
Academic opportunities
In addition to expanding the business relations between the two countries, Hoy noted that academic opportunities also exist.
The Ireland Fellows Programme Scholarship is a one-year master’s level programme, available to those within Small Island Developing States (SIDS), that seeks to equip early to mid-career professionals with quality education from a higher education institution (HEI) in Ireland free of cost.
In a previous interview with Guyana Times, Sara Henry, one of the first recipients of this scholarship, had commended her experience, having studied Environmental Leadership at the University of Galway.
Since returning to Guyana last year, Henry now works as a freelance conservation consultant and volunteers with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) United Nations Small Grants Programme where she works with civil society groups to develop proposals to solve environmental issues and improve the wellbeing of local people.
“[Henry] is back here as part of your future,” Hoy remarked. “We are advertising that programme again and we are looking for young people from the region, from Guyana to take up the opportunity and come study with us.”
Additionally, Ireland’s Mobility and Travel Grants 2023 is one of several competitive opportunities available to Guyanese seeking to address specific ocean, climate and sustainable blue economy related challenges faced by Small Island Developing States (SIDS) as such.
This grant, and seven others, available under the “Our Shared Ocean” programme is funded through Irish Aid, Ireland’s programme for overseas development, and managed by Ireland’s Marine Institute (MI).
Diaspora
Meanwhile, the ambassador noted that given Ireland’s large history of migration, their knowledge when it comes to connecting with the diaspora can be particularly helpful.
“I know that in Guyana, you have many people overseas in different countries. They can be part of your future. It’s not about bringing them back, but it’s about connecting them to your economic growth, sending out the message of where you want to be in the future, using them as ambassadors and telling the good story about Guyana,” Hoy said.
Hoy noted that he previously spoke to Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd on Ireland’s success in engaging its diaspora, adding that he welcomes the opportunity to exchange knowledge in this regard.
