Suriname’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and International Cooperation, Melvin Bouva, has extended a bold invitation to Guyanese businesses, reaffirming his country’s readiness to collaborate, as both nations move to unlock the transformative potential of the Guiana Shield – one of the world’s most ecologically and economically significant regions.
Delivering remarks at the 2025 International Business Conference (IBC) in Georgetown, Minister Bouva said Suriname’s partnership vision with Guyana is rooted in shared geography, shared prosperity, and shared responsibility.
“As Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and International Cooperation, my role, and that of the Ministry, is to act as a bridge and a catalyst. Our mission is to connect opportunity with capacity and potential with partnership. We are not only the custodians of Suriname’s foreign relations but also the facilitators of international trade, investment, and cooperation. Through active economic diplomacy, we are expanding Suriname’s global footprint. We are strengthening our bilateral and multilateral engagements, promoting Suriname as an investment destination, and fostering cross-border cooperation with strategic partners, notably Guyana, Brazil, French Guiana, others in the region, and the CARICOM family,” the Surinamese Minister said.
The Guiana Shield, stretching across Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Venezuela, Colombia, and northern Brazil, is one of the world’s oldest geological formations and a vital environmental asset.
Rich in gold, bauxite, and diamonds, the region also holds some of the planet’s most pristine rainforests, absorbing massive amounts of carbon and sheltering rare wildlife found nowhere else. Its rivers, including the Essequibo and Orinoco, are crucial water sources for millions.
Regional leaders are now exploring ways to unlock the Shield’s economic potential through cross-border trade, renewable energy, and sustainable mining.
Minister Bouva described the relationship between Guyana and Suriname as one shaped not only by proximity but by purpose. On this note, he emphasised that the region stands at the threshold of a new era of opportunity and transformation, made possible by recent oil and gas discoveries and by deliberate efforts to diversify both economies.
“Also, in relation to our neighbour Guyana, economic diplomacy, therefore, will be one of the main drivers of Suriname’s foreign policy, precisely to translate macroeconomic development into endless opportunities for its private sectors and other stakeholders, especially our community. But let me be clear, from the outset, for Suriname, this is not solely an energy story. It is the catalyst for a much broader and profound ambition, the complete and deliberate transformation of our economy into a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient economy.”
Minister Bouva underscored that this transformation cannot be achieved by Governments alone.
He reminded conference participants that, ultimately, progress will be measured not in promises but in results.
“Both Suriname and Guyana possess abundant natural resources, fertile land, rich biodiversity, and an increasingly skilled workforce. But our greatest asset, ladies and gentlemen, remains a strategic location, as the bridge between the Caribbean and South America… Our economies are poised for growth not only in energy but also in agriculture, tourism, fisheries, logistics, and digital economy… The private sector, therefore, both domestic and foreign, is central to this vision. It is through entrepreneurship, it is through innovation and investment that opportunities are translated into sustainable growth and employment,” he added.
With more than 500 delegates and 100 speakers from across the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, and North America, the three-day International Business Conference is being held under the theme “Bridging Businesses for Regional Prosperity”. The event seeks to strengthen commercial linkages, promote cross-border investments, and accelerate private sector partnerships across priority industries such as infrastructure, real estate, energy, tourism, and industrial services.
The conference is organised by the Guyana–Suriname Chamber of Commerce, with strong support from the Suriname Investment and Trade Agency (SITA), the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest), and the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA).
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