Focus now shifting from securing funds to delivering project results – Finance Minister

…urges faster execution of Govt-World Bank projects

Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance Dr Ashni Singh has called for faster implementation of Government projects financed by the World Bank, stressing that the focus must now shift from securing resources to delivering results.

Singh made the call on Friday while leading a Government of Guyana/World Bank Group Country Performance Review at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), where senior officials from both sides assessed ongoing and planned projects and discussed ways to address implementation delays.
“What I would ask is that the focus be on execution,” Singh said, noting that resources had already been mobilised and allocated to various project interventions.
“We have mobilised resources, and we have earmarked them for project interventions, but the big issue now is delivery, and I want us to use this day to make sure that we focus on implementation and execution, moving as quickly as possible to procurement, design, delivery and implementation,” he added.
The review brought together senior Government officials, project implementation units and World Bank representatives to evaluate progress, identify bottlenecks and agree on measures to accelerate project delivery across the country.
Singh also highlighted his call for the World Bank to use allocations under the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank Group’s concessional financing arm, to support innovative projects being reviewed.
These include the Caribbean Efficient and Green Energy Buildings, Coastal Adaptation and Resilience, Integrated Transport Corridors and One Health projects.
The full-day exercise focused on active and pipeline projects considered important to Guyana’s long-term economic development and sustainability. Participants assessed project outputs, examined implementation challenges, documented lessons learnt and agreed on a unified action matrix to improve delivery across sectors.

Effective implementation
Acting World Bank Group Country Manager for Guyana and Suriname Juan Carlos Alvarez, who led the institution’s delegation, said effective implementation was the central objective of the review.
Alvarez stressed that the projects were Government initiatives financed by the international financial institution and that both parties had a responsibility to ensure they were implemented effectively.
“It is in both of our interests to ensure that they are implemented effectively, and it is important that we use this opportunity to identify any potential bottlenecks and find solutions so that the persons for which the projects are intended will get the benefit of the development,” he said.
Singh was accompanied by senior Finance Ministry officials, including Director of Projects Bernard Lord and Head of Multilateral Financial Institutions Donald DeClou.
The review comes as Guyana continues to pursue a range of infrastructure and development initiatives, with the Government seeking to advance projects across multiple sectors.
Recently, Singh described his engagement with World Bank Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean Susana Cordeiro Guerra during the 2026 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group in Bangkok, Thailand, as positive.
During those discussions, the Minister said the World Bank Group remained a reliable development partner for Guyana and reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to maintaining a strong and enduring partnership with the institution.