–Finance Minister tells Jamaican Export & Investment Mission

GUYANA is brimming with investment opportunities across multiple sectors, driven by strategic infrastructural projects and ambitious social and economic development plans.

This was declared by Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance and the Public Service, Dr. Ashni Singh, on Friday—the second day of the Jamaican Export and Investment Mission meeting held at the Marriott Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown.

“We want to expand the economic space in which anybody doing business in Guyana is operating,” Minister Singh said, emphasising that the government’s focus on infrastructure, transport, energy, and social infrastructure will unlock significant growth potential.

Transport infrastructure, Dr Singh stressed, is a key priority for the government.

Projects underway will not only improve connectivity with neighbouring countries Brazil and Suriname, but also enhance links between regions within Guyana.

“[This is about] growing linkages to open up new communities, connect communities within Guyana, and to open up new productive land for agricultural purposes…,” he explained.

The minister highlighted ongoing improvements to port and maritime infrastructure, which aim to boost shipping links across the region and globally. These developments are expected to enhance trade and economic integration, positioning Guyana as a regional hub.

Minister Singh outlined ambitious plans in the energy sector, focusing on a new gas-to-energy project that will generate 300 megawatts of gas-powered electricity.

According to him, this project is set to reduce electricity costs for consumers by up to 50 per cent, enabling a “quantum shift” in the competitiveness of industrial and manufacturing activities.

“We’ve historically been exporters and producers of primary commodities,” Singh said.

“With more competitive electricity prices, we will be able to do more manufacturing and more industrial-type energy-intensive activities.”

Singh revealed that this initial pipeline is just the beginning.

He explained that a second pipeline, expected within five years, will supply even more gas to fuel electricity generation for heavy industries such as alumina production, as well as fertiliser manufacturing, which is critical for agricultural growth.

Recognising the rapid economic growth’s demand on the labour market, Singh underscored heavy investments in education and healthcare to ensure that Guyanese can fully participate in the economy.

“We’re building 12 new regional hospitals, including a specialised maternal and paediatric-care hospital. One of those hospitals will be a teaching hospital to train more doctors,” Singh noted.

SKILLED PROFESSIONALS

Dr Singh explained that there is a high demand for skilled professionals across all sectors, including healthcare, engineering, and technical trades such as welding.

Singh also pointed to Guyana’s attractive fiscal framework designed to lure private investment, with numerous international brand hotels and projects currently under construction.

The minister informed the gathering that Guyana has introduced local content legislation that mandates foreign companies to source a minimum percentage of goods and services from Guyanese suppliers.

This, he noted, has created business opportunities for local companies and encouraged joint ventures with international firms.

While traditional sectors such as rice remain strong—with Guyana producing record exports to Jamaica—Singh highlighted ongoing efforts to diversify agriculture through collaboration with Brazilian counterparts.

Utilising Brazilian technology, Guyana is scaling up corn and soybean production, both important for food and feed.

“We have essentially the same climatic conditions and soil types in some regions of Guyana [as Brazil],” he added, noting that this partnership allows us to become self-sufficient domestically and increase exports.

Economic growth has triggered a construction surge, Singh reported. The government’s commitment to provide 50,000 house lots has spurred unprecedented residential construction, while commercial and industrial development is also booming.

“This has triggered a demand for construction materials. We have issued new quarry licences. We have new quarries producing… etc.,” Dr Singh said.

Minister Singh urged mission participants to engage actively with their private-sector counterparts, emphasising the potential returns from business-to-business partnerships.

“An investment in Guyana is an investment in a prosperous medium- and long-term future,” he stated. “This growth is going to continue. You’re going to see continued rapid expansion in the economy, which will generate continued demand for every category of goods and services for a very long time.”

He also stressed Guyana’s commitment to regional prosperity, underscoring the importance of mutual growth with neighbours.

SHARING GUYANA’S PROSPERITY

“Our President, Dr Irfaan Ali has said publicly that Guyana’s prosperity must contribute to the well-being of the entire region,” Singh added. “We want to be surrounded by neighbours who are doing well, and we take that mutual obligation seriously.”

Closing his remarks, Singh reaffirmed Guyana’s openness to investments and partnerships.

He expressed the government’s readiness to support and facilitate investments in Guyana, encouraging participants to take advantage of the opportunities available.

“There literally isn’t a sector that isn’t ripe with opportunities in Guyana,” he stated.

Jamaica and Guyana have enjoyed a long-standing and constructive bilateral relationship, rooted in decades of regional co-operation. Their ties date back to July 1973, when both nations became signatories to the Treaty of Chaguaramas, laying the foundation for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and deeper regional integration.

In more recent years, efforts to strengthen collaboration were renewed with the reactivation of the Guyana-Jamaica Joint Commission in 2018.