Though Guyana spans just over 83,000 square miles and is home to about 800,000 people, this small nation continues to make a big impact on the global stage, driven by the bold leadership of President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali.
“The size of a country should never determine its ability to compete,” according to President Ali on Tuesday as he delivered a passionate address to global leaders, investors, and policymakers at the 9th Edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII9) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The president made a compelling case for small developing nations, like Guyana, to be viewed as models of transformation and sustainability.
The forum, held under the theme “The Key to Prosperity – Unlocking New Frontiers of Growth”, brought together heads of government, international organisations, and private sector leaders to discuss strategies for driving inclusive global growth.
During a high-level panel discussion on Tuesday, President Ali emphasised that a nation’s potential must not be measured by the size of its population or geography, but by the boldness and innovation of its people.
“We are shaped by the way we think and the boldness in our thinking,” he said. “If we limit our ability to be transformative and innovative by the size of our population or our country, then we will never be able to compete. That is why investment in human capital, in technology, and in building the infrastructure to support competitiveness is so important.”
The president noted that Guyana’s development model is rooted in a balance between economic expansion and environmental preservation.
He reminded the audience that while the world has lost nearly 60 per cent of its biodiversity over the last half-century, Guyana has preserved more than 89 per cent of its forests, storing some 19.5 gigatons of carbon and maintaining one of the lowest deforestation rates globally.
“This is the country that is keeping the world alive,” President Ali said, noting that “Here is a country that is providing the solution to the global problems of deforestation and climate change, yet many do not know of it. That is the problem; our priorities as a global community are not always aligned with the real solutions that exist.”
At the same time, he underscored Guyana’s emergence as the fastest-growing economy in the world, propelled by its recent oil and gas discoveries, insisting that his country’s transformation goes far beyond petroleum wealth.
“Every country must be able to compete in a global system and to do that, regardless of how big or small you are, you have to have the right infrastructure, the right education system, health care, a food system that will keep your people out of starvation and hunger,” the president said.
He highlighted Guyana’s plan to leapfrog into a digital and AI-driven economy, positioning the nation for long-term competitiveness in the global market, while continuing to invest in traditional sectors such as agriculture, food security, and eco-tourism.
“When you think about Guyana, you think about the case of Qatar, with a small population by citizen but a large population in terms of the workforce. In Guyana’s case, we recently discovered oil, and that has really ignited the rate and pace of transformation and allowed us to make the right set of investments in human capital, health care, education technology.”
The president affirmed Guyana’s readiness to work with international investors and partners to build a future defined by prosperity, resilience, and environmental sustainability.
“We are bringing in talent, technology, and partnerships, because we do not have the time or the human resources to start from scratch,” President Ali said. (Department of Public Information)
