Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh and Inter-American Development Bank President Luis Alberto Moreno have signed agreements worth US$52M: US$27 million for the Competitiveness Programme and US$25M for the Justice Sector Modernization Programme.
The Government Information Agency (GINA) said yesterday that the loan agreements represent the bank’s support of two flagship projects being undertaken by the government. The agreements were signed in Guatemala where Singh and Moreno both attended the 48th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the IDB.
According to GINA, the minister reiterated the central importance of both programmes to government’s policy agenda, with specific focus on continuing the transformation and modernization of the institutional environment and improving the business climate as a means of creating jobs, attracting investment and reducing poverty.
The minister, GINA said, also thanked Moreno and his staff for their support in concluding the agreements on these programmes and in anticipation of the bank’s continued support to Guyana.
The minister also participated in a meeting, which involved Moreno, other senior IDB officials and Caribbean ministers representing the Bahamas, Barbados, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, GINA said.
At that meeting too, Singh also expressed the region’s appreciation for the achievement of debt relief for the heavily indebted poor countries of Latin America and the Caribbean and solicited The bank’s continued support and assistance in mobilizing sufficient resources to ensure that these countries are able to continue implementing their poverty reduction policies.
Outgoing IDB Executive Vice President Ciro De Falco, who was responsible for Guyana and the Caribbean for a number of years, also received Guyana’s appreciation and Singh expressed confidence in establishing similar ties with his successor Daniel Zelikow.
GINA said the finance minister also participated in a number of strategic bilateral discussion during the IDB annual board of governors meeting.
