Georgetown conference highlights a proposed deepwater port, Brazil trade links and business opportunities beyond oil and gas.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana — Guyana’s oil-driven economic expansion is drawing international businesses seeking opportunities beyond energy, with a proposed deepwater port, stronger trade links with Brazil and new Caribbean partnerships taking center stage at a conference in Georgetown.

More than 150 participants from Guyana, the Caribbean, Brazil, the United States, Europe and elsewhere gathered Oct. 19-23 for the World Trade Centre Georgetown’s second annual international trade and investment conference. The business-support organization launched in October 2025.

Guyana’s economy is projected to grow 20.8% in 2026. Non-oil activity is forecast to expand 10.2%, according to the Ministry of Finance’s midyear report, detailed in a government announcement. These projections underscore the conference’s focus on investment opportunities beyond oil and gas.

Discussions covered agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, banking, insurance and transportation, alongside oil and gas. For Caribbean and U.S. businesses, the focus was on connecting regional producers with new markets. Additionally, they discussed removing barriers to cross-border trade. Panels also examined the changing geopolitical landscape for trade. In addition, they discussed doing business with Brazil and exporting to the United States.

“The world connects to Guyana today through this conference,” Peter Ramsaroop, CEO of Guyana’s investment agency, GO-Invest, told the opening session. He outlined government plans to expand food production and agricultural processing. Ramsaroop also mentioned efforts to facilitate a multibillion-dollar deepwater port and grow tourism. “The government is here to enable you to make money,” he said.

Organizers pointed to emerging partnerships, including a Brazilian group beginning to import Guyana’s Diamond-brand bottled water. In addition, Galiark, a U.S.-European group, is exploring the use of its artificial intelligence platform for trade finance for small Caribbean businesses. Executive Director Wesley Kirton said the World Trade Centre Georgetown is compiling recommendations for local and regional authorities to reduce trade and investment bottlenecks.

“Collaboration is not merely a nice idea. It’s an economic necessity,” Kirton said, noting that countries cannot meet their wide-ranging needs alone in an interconnected and uncertain world.

Guyana deepwater port could reshape shipping

Guyana’s shallow waters limit access for the world’s largest ships, contributing to high freight costs. A feasibility study for a proposed multibillion-dollar deepwater port is examining cargo volumes, cash flow and other factors needed to secure financing, said Jamie McInerney, who leads Caribbean advisory services for U.S.-based Cross Boundary.

David Fernandes, managing director of Bounty Farm Ltd., said the port should connect farms, roads, manufacturing zones and affordable energy. That approach would help producers move goods to export markets more efficiently, he said. Bounty Farm, Guyana’s largest poultry producer, is diversifying into wheat, corn and soy production.

Brazil trade links open new markets

Upgrades to the road between Guyana and Brazil could help position Guyana as a transshipment hub for northern Brazil, including Amazonas state and its capital, Manaus, said Juarez Baldoino, CEO of Brazil’s Balponte Business Intelligence. Some suppliers in southern Brazil are as far from Amazonas as Guyana is, or farther away, he said.

The Brasil-Guyana Chamber of Commerce is helping businesses in both countries expand trade and recently assisted a Guyanese mission to Manaus, chamber executive Georgia Rodrigues said. She described some families living on both sides of the border as “brothers.”

U.S. food exports and AI require new skills

Miami trade lawyer Jennifer Diaz urged businesses seeking to export food to the United States to get labeling and invoicing right, citing increased attention to trade enforcement under the current U.S. administration. As automation and artificial intelligence expand, countries also need stronger technical training. In particular, they need certification courses for programmable logic controller technicians, said Komal Samaroo, chairman of the World Trade Centre Georgetown.

Caribbean trade opportunities beyond oil

Guyana’s expansion is creating opportunities for fellow members of the Caribbean Community, or Caricom, whose shared trade benefits can support regional commerce. Conference discussions highlighted Belize and St. Kitts and Nevis.

Belizean leaders said their country could serve as a gateway for Guyanese goods entering Central America if Guyana develops its deepwater port. St. Kitts and Nevis is already benefiting as Guyana’s Demerara Distillers Ltd. expands into its tourism-based economy, said Candisie Franklin, a lawyer with the St. Kitts and Nevis government.

About three dozen business owners and students from Caricom countries attended an all-day workshop on international trade research during the conference. In remarks sent to the event, the prime minister of St. Kitts and Nevis said: “Our collective success depends on our ability to connect.”

Local partnerships support Guyanese businesses

Guyana’s natural resources minister, Vickram Bharrat, urged overseas companies to partner with local businesses. He said a 2021 law requiring local participation in the oil and gas industry has directly or indirectly benefited 1,200 Guyanese firms and supported thousands of jobs.

“Partnership,” Bharrat said, “that’s the formula where we see the greatest success.”

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