Proposals for new airports: Pres Ali positions Guyana as Brazil-Caribbean logistics gateway

Hours after the Government of Guyana issued Expressions of Interest (EOIs) for the development of new international airports in Lethem in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and at Rose Hall in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), President Dr Irfaan Ali has described the projects as key components of a broader strategy to strengthen Guyana’s transport and logistics integration with Brazil and the wider region. Speaking at the Energy Conference in Georgetown, the Head of State said the proposed airports are part of a deliberate infrastructure push aimed at positioning Guyana as a regional gateway linking South America and the Caribbean.

“That is why we have an expression of interest for a new international airport in Lethem and one at Rose Hall in Region Six,” President Ali told delegates, signalling the Government’s intention to advance the projects as part of its long-term development plan. The President linked the airport initiatives directly to deeper economic integration with Brazil, noting that Guyana is preparing for expanded cross-border connectivity. “We are gearing up for the interconnectivity with Brazil and the interconnectivity with the rest of the region,” he said, pointing to advancing road corridors to Lethem and into northern Brazil, as well as other major infrastructure developments designed to support trade and investment flows.
President Ali framed the airport projects within a wider national strategy to transform Guyana into a transport and logistics hub, leveraging its geographic location between the Caribbean and the South American mainland. “Ensuring that we position Guyana to be, because of our strategic geographic location, a transport and logistics hub for the region,” he said, emphasising that infrastructure expansion must move in tandem with the country’s rapidly growing energy sector. He underscored that infrastructure remains the foundation of sustained economic progress. “Every great nation, every great development around the world begins with infrastructure,” the President declared. The proposed airports complement other large-scale initiatives, including plans for a deep-water port, expanded gas infrastructure, and strengthened highway linkages to Brazil, all of which form part of a coordinated effort to integrate Guyana more deeply into regional supply chains. With oil production rising and economic growth continuing at record levels, President Ali indicated that the next phase of development will focus on building the physical platforms necessary to support trade, tourism, manufacturing and industrial expansion, with Lethem and Rose Hall emerging as strategic nodes in that vision. In the EOIs published, the Public Utilities and Aviation Ministry is requesting proposals for the design, construction and financing of the two new municipal airports. Under the National Competitive Bidding (NCB) procedures outlined in the Procurement Act 2003, qualified firms are invited to submit proposals for the Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Financing (EPC+F) of a Code 3C Municipal Airport at Rose Hall, Canje, Berbice, Region Six. The Ministry is seeking proposals for a Code 4E Municipal Airport in Lethem, Region Nine.