Guyana breaks ground for fourth regional law school

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Guyana’s ambition to emerge as a major centre for education and professional training in the Caribbean moved a step further with the establishment of the region’s fourth Council of Legal Education (CLE) law school at the University of Guyana’s Turkeyen Campus.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Mohabir Anil Nandlall said the initiative represents a defining moment for Guyana and the wider Caribbean, describing the groundbreaking as both symbolic and consequential.

“We are here to participate in a simple and symbolic ceremony, but a ceremony of great historical and futuristic significance,” he said on Thursday, as he joined regional legal officials, members of the judiciary and other stakeholders for the sod-turning ceremony.

The new institution is expected to serve students from across the Caribbean, with Nandlall saying that the decision to establish the school in Guyana followed a rigorous process, including a feasibility assessment examining its long-term viability and the demand for legal education across the region.

Guyana’s successful bid was formally endorsed by the CLE in September 2025 through the Bahamas Resolution, which approved the fourth law school and paved the way for a framework agreement between the government and the regional body.

“We were very careful in our negotiations not to ever create the impression that this is going to be an insular institution. It’s not a Guyanese institution. While it will be located in Guyana, it is a regional institution to serve the people of the region,” Nandlall said.

The eight-acre development at Turkeyen is also expected to create opportunities for expanded judicial and continuing legal education, with officials indicating that plans include collaboration with the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to establish the CCJ Academy of Law on the site.

The law school forms part of a growing cluster of specialised training facilities being developed in Guyana, and Nandlall said these investments are intended not only to meet domestic needs but to position Guyana as a destination for Caribbean students seeking high-quality professional training.

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