United States Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau will visit Guyana for high-level talks on investment, energy and critical minerals as Washington deepens its economic engagement with one of the world’s fastest-growing oil producers.
Landau is scheduled to meet President Dr. Irfaan Ali and members of his Cabinet during a regional trip to Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana from Aug. 9 to 12, according to an announcement from the U.S. Department of State.
Discussions in Guyana are expected to examine ways of increasing bilateral investment and economic cooperation, with particular attention to the energy and mining sectors.
The visit comes less than a month after Landau addressed a U.S.-Guyana investment forum in Washington and met Guyanese Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh. During those engagements, officials identified agriculture, infrastructure, housing, energy and critical minerals as areas where American capital, technology and expertise could play a larger role.
Landau’s upcoming talks could help move that investment campaign from broad commitments toward specific opportunities. However, neither government has announced any agreements or projects that will be signed during the visit.
The mission also follows the announcement of a US$150 million public-private initiative involving Guyana’s bauxite industry. That arrangement includes a US$85.5 million equity investment by the U.S. government in Strategic Bauxite USA, which is acquiring and expanding First Bauxite’s operations in Guyana.
Washington says the project is intended to establish a secure Western Hemisphere supply chain for refractory-grade bauxite and brown-fused alumina, materials used in industrial manufacturing and military equipment.
