The governments of Guyana and Jamaica on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation on media, mass communication and public affairs.
The signing ceremony was held at the Cara Lodge Hotel in Georgetown.
The MoU aims to strengthen partnerships for knowledge sharing and capacity building, recognising the pivotal role that mass communication plays in shaping society.
Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy, emphasised the importance of bridging gaps between the two countries’ information and communication sectors in alignment with CARICOM’s integration movement.
“We are fully committed as a country and as a government to forging enhanced relations among sister states of the Caribbean community to achieve synergy across the various sectors,” McCoy said.
He stressed the need for innovation to be a cornerstone of media relations and information dissemination, particularly in adapting to evolving technologies to ensure effective communication.
“We have to continuously work at strategies and methods of how we package and share this information and this is where this MoU becomes important,” he explained.
The minister further noted, “[We have] a common objective of wanting to support our society and establish systems for information flow, dissemination and feedback. We recognise that Jamaica has different ways of doing things, and we could assess that to see which probably has greater efficiency and may be applied here.”
McCoy highlighted the role of media practitioners in conveying information objectively and accurately and pledged that the government will continue to drive initiatives that build capacity in these areas.
The Office of the Prime Minister is taking a targeted approach to bolster the communications landscape with a rigorous training programme for new and current media practitioners.
Minister McCoy noted that this MoU will open avenues for similar initiatives to complement this programme.
Meanwhile, Jamaica’s Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Information, Robert Nesta Morgan, underscored the challenges posed by misinformation and disinformation within the media fraternity.
He emphasised the importance of collaboration to combat these issues and highlighted the MoU as a crucial tool in this endeavour.
The minister added that the agreement serves to fortify the relationship between Guyana and Jamaica.
“We do expect that from time-to-time different groups from Guyana and Jamaica will travel back and forth between each other’s countries to learn.
“I was at the broadcaster’s office and we were very impressed by the efficiency and the effectiveness of the processes that you engage,” the information minister stated.
Minister Morgan is leading a delegation to Guyana for UNESCO World Press Freedom Day observances, engaging in various activities including panel discussions and tours of media entities. (DPI)
