President Ali announces diaspora initiative at Saint Lucia town hall meeting

President Irfaan Ali used a town hall with the Guyanese diaspora in Saint Lucia to announce plans for mobile government service centres for Guyanese living overseas.

The initiative, unveiled on Tuesday at the event hosted by the Guyana/Saint Lucia Association at the Financial Administrative Centre in Castries, is intended to make essential government services more accessible in countries with large Guyanese diaspora populations.

“We want, at least once every year in the beginning, to take the mobile government service across every country where we have a large diaspora, so we can service that diaspora with one unit, whether it’s NIS, birth certificates, replacement of any document and all of these things,” President Ali said.

He said the initiative complements Guyana’s ongoing digital transformation, which has improved the delivery of public services, and will bring government agencies directly to Guyanese living overseas.

President Ali also announced that a mobile team will soon begin offering biometric passport services to Guyanese abroad, reducing the need for many citizens to travel to Guyana to complete the process.

The President addressed the gathering alongside members of his delegation, including Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hugh Todd, Minister of Public Service, Government Efficiency and Implementation Zulfikar Ally and National Security Advisor Gerry Gouveia.

During the meeting held on the sidelines of the 51st CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting, which ended in Saint Lucia on Wednesday, President Ali and members of his delegation outlined government initiatives in infrastructure, healthcare, education, housing, technology and digital transformation. They also highlighted education, employment and investment opportunities and encouraged Guyanese living overseas to contribute to the country’s continued development.

Attendees were invited to submit their names, contact information and concerns requiring government intervention. President Ali said the information would be entered into a central database, allowing officials to begin processing requests.

He also encouraged members of the diaspora to return home, invest with confidence and play an active role in Guyana’s continued development.

The town hall, hosted by the Guyana/Saint Lucia Association at the Financial Administrative Centre in Castries, included an interactive question-and-answer session, allowing members of the diaspora to raise issues directly with the President and his delegation.

Guyana’s Honorary Consul to Saint Lucia, Richard Cheong, welcomed attendees, while Public Relations Officer of the Guyana/Saint Lucia Association, David Christopher, thanked President Ali and his delegation for engaging with Guyanese living in Saint Lucia. Christopher also reaffirmed the Association’s commitment to strengthening ties between the diaspora and Guyana through investment, trade, education and cultural exchange.