By:Travis Chase| HGP Nightly News|
Guyana’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) has reportedly spent nearly $150 million on state-of-the-art surveillance and intelligence-gathering equipment, as the agency seeks to enhance its counter-espionage operations.
According to documents published by the Public Procurement Commission, the purchases—made during the 2024 fiscal year—included polygraph machines, espionage devices, geolocation finders, wristwatches and eyeglasses fitted with hidden cameras, waterproof cameras, and drone jammers.
The equipment, acquired under NISA’s capital expenditure programme, is expected to enhance the agency’s ability to monitor threats and improve national intelligence coordination. NISA is currently headed by Colonel Sheldon Howell of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).
Meanwhile, the long-debated NISA Bill is set to be retabled in the 13th Parliament, according to Attorney General Anil Nandlall. The legislation, which was first presented in 2023, has been under review by a Parliamentary Select Committee following intense criticism from the then APNU+AFC Opposition.
Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton had previously condemned the Bill as “retrogressive and dictatorial,” warning that it could open the door to political harassment and privacy violations. Similarly, former APNU+AFC Member of Parliament Roysdale Forde argued that the proposed framework offered inadequate safeguards to protect citizens’ constitutional rights.
The National Intelligence and Security Agency is mandated to collect and process intelligence from multiple sources and to advise the President on matters of national security. It also plays a key role in conducting investigations into issues considered critical to Guyana’s safety and sovereignty.
