Inaugural EU-Guyana Global Gateway Study: Guyana’s expertise boosted to drive port modernisation, agri-food exports

The Guyana delegation that embarked on the first-ever European Union (EU)-Guyana Global Gateway Study and Investment Mission has returned home, declaring stronger technical capacity, sharper regulatory awareness and a reinforced regional mandate to accelerate Guyana’s port modernisation and agri-food export ambitions under the EU’s Global Gateway and Global Gateway strategy.
A statement issued after the delegation’s return confirmed that the inaugural mission, spanning a week of high-level engagements, delivered direct exposure to European port operations, maritime governance models, agro-innovation ecosystems and next-generation cold-chain logistics systems, areas now critical to national planning in trade, shipping, tourism and agricultural expansion.
The mission was led by Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) and newly appointed Member of Parliament (MP), Dr Peter Ramsaroop, supported by diplomatic engagements steered by H.E. Sasenarine Singh and incorporated Caribbean institutional participation including Darwin Telemaque, Allister Mounsey and Clyde Griffith, reinforcing the mission’s wider hemispheric value. Officials from the European community accompanied the trip and were credited with enhancing cooperation, technical exchange and programme execution. From Guyana, representatives included the country’s key maritime and agricultural agencies along with private-sector stakeholders in ports, logistics, manufacturing and agro-processing. Sessions on port innovation were held at several major European maritime hubs, with delegates observing advanced data-driven systems, environmental compliance frameworks, multi-terminal coordination and automated logistics governance. Several of the mission’s most intensive sessions focused on solutions deployed in Antwerp-Bruges, Rotterdam, Fos-Marseille, Málaga and Algeciras. Delegates observed the critical role of the European adoption of Port Community Systems, integrated cruise-cargo terminalisation, environmental transition governance, and cold-chain trade optimisation models that prioritise efficiency and regulatory harmonisation.
The mission also equipped private-sector port developers to assess European investment and regulatory frameworks relevant to port development, operational flow, public-private governance, logistics coordination and commercial port access architecture. “The exposure comes at a critical moment as Guyana progresses its own plans for establishing a modern port act aimed at transforming its maritime legal framework to meet international standards and support the country’s fast-expanding logistics and trade ecosystem,” the release disclosed. It further went on to state that, “the lessons learned during the EU mission are expected to translate directly to Guyana’s port operators, even as they seek to expand facilities and accommodate new commercial shipping clients, providing practical guidance on port access, operational flow, and international best practices. Insights from modern European ports can inform the development of new port projects, supporting efficient design, coordinated governance and streamlined operations. Similarly, knowledge gained from European authorities and industry partners can help strengthen shipyard operations, maintenance, shipbuilding and dredging activities, enhancing both capacity and competitiveness”.

Agriculture-focused leg
Meanwhile, the agriculture-focused leg of the mission included detailed technical exchanges at the Netherlands’ pioneering agro-innovation institutions and Spain’s leading protected-agriculture research hubs. “Sessions at Wageningen University & Research explored advanced smart-agriculture systems in protected cultivation, climate-adaptive policy science, agrivoltaic integration and precision-irrigation governance, while IFAPA (the Andalusian Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries Research and Training) Campanillas covered shade-house scalability, export-sensitivity market readiness, shelf-life extension science and resource-efficient crop processing systems. Private-sector agro-processors also focused on SPS rigor, energy-efficient processing, market penetration frameworks for perishables, and cold-chain systems that expand export range while protecting product quality across long-haul trade corridors,”.
Sharing insights on the mission, Dr Ramsaroop emphasised that the trip was designed to collect practical insights, build relationships, and identify realistic areas of future cooperation. “This was a study and investment mission, not a negotiation mission,” Ramsaroop said. “Our goal was to understand the systems that can help Guyana modernise its ports, strengthen agriculture and expand exports. We now have clearer direction on where we can adapt global best practices to our local context.” He added that the delegation’s diversity, spanning port operators, agro-processors, shipping ecosystem partners and public sector agencies, ensures the knowledge collected is multipurpose and translatable.