Guyana signs pact with Canada for Cdn$120M sovereign loan to impact social services

Seated from left: Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana Mark Berman, Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen, and Minister of Finance Dr Ashni Singh and Anton Edwards General Manager at the IDB’s Caribbean Country Department at the signing of the sovereign loan agreement (Antonio Dey)

By Antonio Dey

A Cdn$120 million sovereign loan agreement was signed yesterday between the governments of Guyana and Canada to aid with the development and protection of vulnerable groups here.

The agreement was inked by Guyana’s Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh and Canada’s Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen, at the Residence of the Canadian High Commissioner in Bel Air, Georgetown.

Speaking at the signing, Hussen detailed that the sovereign loan programme would be utilised to improve social protection under the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security in areas such as digital transformation, old age pensions, gender-based violence, persons living with disabilities and human trafficking.