President Dr. Irfaan Ali is calling on the leaders of Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago to set aside bureaucratic obstacles and commit to an intensive push to finalise a robust economic partnership between the two oil-rich nations.
Delivering the feature address at the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce business meeting at the Hyatt Regency on Thursday, President Ali made a passionate appeal for both countries to take decisive action.
“If we care about partnership, if we care about building consortia, if we care about building a joint economic front between Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, then we must care about fixing the problem — and let’s get in that room, lock ourselves up for 72 hours and fix the damn problem,” Ali said, drawing on the urgency he believes the moment demands.
The Guyanese President stressed that as two nations driven by oil and gas, Guyana and T&T have both the responsibility and the opportunity to future-proof their economies through deeper collaboration. He pointed to prospects beyond energy, highlighting Guyana’s soya bean exports and Trinidad and Tobago’s renowned cocoa industry as areas ripe for joint development.
While praising the ANSA McAL group for leading the charge through its investments in Guyana — including the development of a shopping mall — President Ali lamented that no Trinidadian consortium had yet seized the opportunity to invest in Guyanese gold, describing it as a missed chance for meaningful economic integration.
The President also turned a critical eye toward T&T’s immigration processes, suggesting that lengthy and cumbersome procedures were not only an inconvenience to travellers but were also holding back Caribbean Airlines from reaching its full potential as a regional carrier.
