Growing connection between Guyana, Northern Brazil will open significant opportunities- GMSA President

The continued strengthening of partnerships between Guyana and its neighbours in the Guiana Shield: Brazil and Suriname, was recently highlighted by Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) head Ramsay Ali, who noted ways in which they stood to benefit.

Ali was at the time addressing the GMSA’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), when, in his remarks, he spoke about the bilateral ties between the three countries, and the opportunities for the manufacturing sector that come with them.
“You know, of course, the connection with Northern Brazil. We have a common geographical space, that will open significant opportunities, not only for export and import, but also raw material supply,” Ali said.
He also referenced instances the GMSA has partnered with the Suriname Guyana Chamber of Commerce (SGCC), and expressed hope that this partnership will continue to grow, to the mutual benefit of both countries.
“Especially with the bridge. So, it’s going to be a lot of collaboration with Guyana and Suriname,” Ali further explained.
Only last month, Guyana had signed on to a new Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) programme to foster integration within South America, as part of efforts to build a more connected and prosperous continent.
The signing was done during the IDB and IDB Invest Annual Meetings held at the Mapocho Station Cultural Centre in Santiago, Chile from March 26 to 30. Senior Minister with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, attended the meeting.
Dr Singh, along with other high-ranking representatives from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Uruguay, joined IDB President, Ilan Goldfajn, to ink a declaration of support for the “South Connection” programme, in which they recognised the cross-border nature of shared challenges and requested the IDB’s support to address them jointly through a pragmatic, regional approach.

The IDB said “South Connection” is a new regional programme co-created by South American countries for developing strategic corridors to improve connectivity, strengthen value chains, and modernise institutional frameworks. By connecting currently fragmented markets, the initiative seeks to increase scale, reduce costs, and attract investment.
Guyana has explored and, in some cases, moved ahead with a range of development plans aimed at increasing integration with Brazil and Suriname. In the case of Brazil, there have been a flurry of major infrastructure projects in Guyana including the US$190 million Linden-Lethem Road and expansion of airports, as well as plans for a port development that would position Guyana as a logistical hub with enormous opportunities for Northern Brazil in terms of shipping at a reduced time and cost.
Only recently, a Guyanese delegation had conducted a three-day trade mission in Northern Brazil, specifically Boa Vista, State of Roraima as part of ongoing efforts to improve cross border trade between the two countries.
The Governor of the State of Roraima had indicated that the State is ready to expand trade and economic relations with Guyana and stressed that the State offers an excellent business environment for investment.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud who was a part of the delegation, had noted that to increase trade in a mutually beneficial way, there was need for a review of the Partial Scope Agreement, the framework under which trade is conducted between the two countries.
Additionally, it was explained at the time that the two sides are in active discussions towards the operationalisation of the Guyana- Brazil International Road Transport Agreement (IRTA), which would see an increase in the movement of goods and people.
Meanwhile, in the case of Suriname, a US$236.1 million bridge is being built across the Corentyne River that would connect Moleson Creek in Guyana with South Drain in Suriname, would be approximately 3.1 kilometres (km) in length, and would have a landing on Long Island in the Corentyne River, where a commercial hub and tourist destination would be established. That duty-free zone would see major infrastructural development, such as hotels, recreational parks, entertainment spots, tourist attractions, malls, and farmers’ markets.
There have also been talks between Guyana and Suriname, on the potential collaboration between the two neighbouring countries to jointly develop their respective natural gas resources. Suriname is now forging ahead with its first offshore petroleum development project, which the Guyana Government had previously said opens up opportunities for the two nations to work together.