Georgetown: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a visit to Guyana marking the first visit by an Indian PM in 56 years, on Wednesday, joined Caribbean leaders for the second India-Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Summit. The focus of the summit was to discuss ways to strengthen ties in areas like trade, technology, tourism, and agriculture. During the summit, PM Modi proposed seven “key pillars” to help improve the relationship between India and the Caribbean countries.

During the summit, the leaders discussed ways to strengthen ties in areas such as economic cooperation, agriculture and food security, health and pharmaceuticals, and science and innovations. Addressing the summit, Prime Minister Modi proposed seven key pillars, which also form the acronym CARICOM.

These seven pillars, part of an acronym, CARICOM, include:

1. Capacity Building – Helping to develop skills.
2. Agriculture and Food Security – Working on food supply and farming.
3. Renewable Energy and Climate Change – Focusing on clean energy and tackling climate change.
4. Innovation, Technology, and Trade – Promoting new ideas, technology, and business.
5. Cricket and Culture – Strengthening ties through sports and culture.
6. Ocean Economy – Using the ocean’s resources responsibly.
7. Medicine and Healthcare – Improving health and medical care.

PM Modi also suggested creating an online portal to connect businesses and people in India and CARICOM countries to promote trade, technology, and tourism. He spoke about helping small and medium-sized businesses, mentioning a $1 million grant announced last year to support these sectors.

The Prime Minister also talked about building a forensic centre for the CARICOM region and creating a portal similar to India’s iGOT Karmayogi, which offers online courses for civil servants in areas like law, technology, and education.

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Made Up of 21 Countries

Highlighting India’s leadership at the G20, Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali thanked India for sending the first vaccines to the Caribbean during the COVID-19 pandemic and praised India’s role in supporting the Global South, referring to the countries that share similar development challenges.

Notably, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is made up of 21 countries, including 15 full members and six associate members. Around 320,000 people of Indian origin live in Guyana.

Earlier, before arriving in Guyana, PM Modi attended the G20 Summit in Brazil, where he met with world leaders like US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Modi had also visited Nigeria, where he held talks with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and met the Indian community.