Guyana and St Kitts and Nevis sign three MOUs on security and modernization

Three new agreements were announced in Georgetown on April 8, 2026, as Guyana and St Kitts and Nevis expanded cooperation during Prime Minister Terrance Drew's visit. The documents dealt with non-lethal security work, food and farming policy, and the modernization of public administration. St Kitts and Nevis was also welcomed into the Global Biodiversity Alliance during the same trip.

Together, the announcements gave the visit a practical policy focus. Statements from both sides pointed to regional food supply, stronger state systems, and environmental cooperation as the main follow-up areas.

What the three MOUs cover

The memoranda were presented as separate agreements rather than one combined package.

• One deals with security cooperation on a non-lethal basis.
• One deals with agriculture and food security.
• One deals with government modernization across ministries and public entities.

Security agreement

The security document was signed for Guyana by Brigadier Omar Khan and for St Kitts and Nevis by Acting Major Kayode Sutton. Reporting on the visit described the arrangement as a framework for future cooperation, not as an announcement of a specific deployment or operation.

• The scope described publicly was non-lethal.
• Officials tied the agreement to national and regional security interests.
• The memorandum formed part of the broader diplomatic programme around Drew's visit.

Agriculture and food security

Food supply was one of the clearest themes in the public remarks around the visit. Drew said higher food prices and reliance on outside markets remain important concerns for small states, while Guyana's production capacity creates room for deeper regional trade and cooperation.

• The agriculture agreement was framed around food security and practical collaboration.
• Drew said St Kitts and Nevis wants stronger domestic production and more regional sourcing.
• He linked that work to affordability and resilience.

Government modernization

The modernization side of the visit focused on how government systems function. Public statements referred to better use of real-time information, improved project oversight, and stronger performance across government departments.

• The agreement supports work on administrative capability and institutional performance.
• Digital tools were presented as part of better governance rather than as an end in themselves.
• The topic was linked to the Federation's wider digital transformation plans.

Biodiversity alliance

St Kitts and Nevis also entered the Global Biodiversity Alliance, a platform Guyana launched in July 2025. President Mohamed Irfaan Ali linked the initiative to biodiversity protection, agriculture, heritage, and the wider environmental challenge, while Drew said it fits the Federation's Sustainable Island State agenda.

• Drew said biodiversity is part of the country's long-term policy direction.
• He said he would raise the issue within CARICOM and push for broader regional involvement.
• The alliance added an environmental dimension to a visit otherwise centered on bilateral agreements.

The immediate outcome of the visit was a more clearly defined cooperation agenda between the two countries. Security, food systems, government administration, and biodiversity now sit at the center of the new set of agreements announced in Georgetown.