World Bank looking to boost private investment opportunities in Guyana

– inks agreement with Finance Minister to support job growth, expand impact

The World Bank Group (WBG) is looking to play a greater role in Guyana’s unprecedented economic transformation by expanding its investment portfolio here through the local private sector. This was cemented in an agreement that was inked between the WBG and the Guyana Government on the sidelines of the 2026 World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Spring Meetings that were held in Washington, DC, over the past week.
In a brief statement late Friday evening, the World Bank’s Caribbean division said it is strengthening the partnership with Guyana.
“In the context of the #WBGMeetings, the Government of Guyana and IFC (International Finance Corporation) signed the WBG Establishment Agreement-a key milestone to scale private sector development, support job creation and deepen impact in the country,” it noted.
Signed by Senior Minister with Responsibility for Finance in Guyana, Dr Ashni Singh, and IFC Vice President (VP) for Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean (LAC), Alfonso García Mora, the agreement provides the institutional framework for the operations of all WBG institutions, enhancing its ability to deliver in the world’s fastest-growing economy.
The IFC is the private-sector arm of the WBG, focusing on economic development through private enterprise in emerging markets. As the largest global development institution for the private sector, it provides investments and advisory services to create jobs and reduce poverty.

Exploring new products
Only a few weeks ago, Minister Singh pointed out that Guyana’s relations with the World Bank are evolving into different dimensions given the country’s changing economic circumstances. This includes exploring products being offered by entities within the Group, including the IFC. Dr Singh’s remarks came in light of concerns as Guyana risks potentially losing its eligibility for access to concessional resources under the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) due to the country’s rising income per capita. Access to IDA resources is tied to the per capita income of countries-something which the finance Minister had said Guyana has long been arguing against even before its oil boom and a challenge that the country is facing with many of its other development partners.
“We will always fight for the largest possible access to concessional resources, but as we navigate this period of change in the Guyanese economy, other members of the World Bank Group have tools, instruments and products that will take on new relevance, including, in particular, the World Bank’s private sector operations… The private sector arm of the World Bank is now doing a lot more in Guyana, and we’re pushing them to do a lot more given the speed at which we’re seeing the private sector grow,” the Minister explained during a podcast interview last month. At the time, Dr Singh was joined by World Bank Country Director for the Caribbean, Lilia Burunciuc, as they reflected on the work of the financial institution in Guyana over the years and the role it will play in helping to build out the country’s future. In fact, Burunciuc assured that the World Bank is committed to continuing to work with Guyana even as a high-income nation, expressing hope that this collaboration would expand into new areas.
According to a former World Bank representative, these include “…focusing on attracting private investments, making sure that high-quality jobs are created, ensuring that not only the oil economy but also the non-oil economy is doing well, and for this, there is a need for investments… Going forward, it’s about more investing in systems, investing in ‘know-how,’ and investing in innovations to ensure that the economy continues to advance, while also trying to offer Guyana new innovative products like… various guarantees that will allow Guyana to access resources in the capital markets at lower costs .”

High-level engagements
Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the World Bank Meetings, which concluded on Saturday, Minister Singh had a series of high-level engagements with senior officials from the WBG. He met with the World Bank’s VP for the LAC, Susana Cordeiro Guerra, which he said paved the way for discussions on new avenues of cooperation aimed at driving sustainable growth and prosperity for all Guyanese.
The Finance Minister also engaged with the Executive Head of the Pandemic Fund – a World Bank partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO), Priya Basu, and her team to discuss the advancement of global pandemic preparedness and responses. Singh said he took the opportunity to recognise the Fund’s support towards Guyana, especially in strengthening health resilience and reiterated the Government’s interest in continued close collaboration with the Fund well into the future. In addition to bilateral engagements, Minister Singh also participated in a series of breakout sessions over the past week, including a Constituency Meeting, which focused on issues of shared interest to countries in the Brazil constituency including Guyana, Haiti, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, as well as Cabo Verde and Timor Leste. During remarks, Dr Singh highlighted Guyana’s unprecedented economic trajectory and the Government’s strategic roadmap for long-term economic stability. He further used the opportunity to call on the IMF to recognise the unusual and peculiar economic circumstances of Guyana’s extraordinary growth and, therefore, adopt more customised policy advice that aligns with the country’s unique development needs and global climate vulnerabilities.

Sustainable growth & food security
Additionally, Dr Singh also attended an AgriConnect Partners Meeting that convened public and private stakeholders to evaluate the initiative’s progress since its launch in October 2025. The session also focused on overcoming emerging challenges and identifying strategic opportunities to meet the goal of supporting more smallholder farmers by 2030. In his presentation, Singh outlined that Guyana holds the lead responsibility for agriculture and food security within the Caribbean region and underscored that agriculture remains a primary contributor to Guyana’s non-oil GDP, supported by abundant arable land and freshwater resources. He further noted the strong alignment between Guyana’s Government’s policy objectives and the AgriConnect initiative, particularly in areas of access to technical assistance and extension services for small farmers and the deployment of science and technology in the agricultural sector, and reaffirmed that Guyana looks forward to actively participating in this initiative to drive sustainable growth and food security. Moreover, Dr Singh participated in the 16th V20 Ministerial Dialogue, which was held under the theme “Prosperity, Stability, and Security in an Era of Planetary Instability,” and brought together V20 members and global partners to address the critical convergence of climate, development, and nature. The dialogue focused on navigating the escalating shocks of the climate crisis while exploring sustainable opportunities for economic resilience. During the week-long WBG and IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, DC, the Minister Singh was joined by Guyana’s Ambassador to Brazil, D. Compton Bourne, and the Executive Director in the Caribbean Office of the IDB, Navita Ramroop.
The Governor of the Bank of Guyana, Dr Gobind Ganga, was also part of the Guyanese delegation.