Ragindra Persaud

Managing Director of Nand Persaud Group

Unlocking Guyana’s Potential

Ragindra Persaud, Managing Director, Nand Persaud Group, outlines how Guyana’s infrastructure buildout, low-cost energy and regional trade access are laying the groundwork for long-term growth across strategic sectors.

“Guyana offers an open and liberal investment climate with minimal restrictions.”

Ragindra Persaud

    • How far has Guyana progressed since its oil boom, and what critical steps are required for its next growth leap?

      Guyana is only four to five years into its oil era, and the government has already launched numerous infrastructure projects. Over the next five years, we will see roads, ports and utilities catch up with demand. However, expanding interior roads and enhancing air links to mining and agriculture zones remain critical in the short term, and private investment in logistics and feeder roads could fill those gaps more quickly.

      The local private sector remains small relative to the opportunities on offer. Large firms are established, but there is a dearth of mid-sized companies ready to scale and form joint ventures. To drive growth, we need more entrepreneurship, startup support and education on structuring equity partnerships. As local firms gain experience, I expect a wave of new collaborations with foreign investors.

      As a member of the Caribbean Community and Common Market, we benefit from a free-trade bloc spanning the region. Taken together, the market is sizeable, especially for agriculture and light manufacturing. With our anticipated low energy costs and high adoption of mechanization, we can produce competitively and export to neighboring islands and the wider South American market. There also exists scope for processed goods that we have barely tapped, such as fruit pulps, packaged foods and basic consumer products.

    • Agriculture is a clear long-term play; food will always be essential. With the right investments, we can build up our infrastructure and establish a robust agricultural industry that endures well beyond the oil boom. The success of our tourism sector has a huge upside. With new flight connections into Guyana, we are seeing an influx of visitors that justifies significant investments in hotels, resorts and related services. In the short term, Guyana is rapidly building up infrastructure, such as roads, ports, and utilities, which underpins the oil and gas industry and benefits any sector looking to scale rapidly.

      We have vast arable land that remains underutilized. By applying mechanization, precision irrigation and data-driven crop management, we can dramatically boost yields. Technology enables us to meet stringent global phytosanitary standards and optimize resource usage, making Guyanese exports more competitive in quality and price.

    • We are seeing each of these sectors mature rapidly. Infrastructure projects – especially roads and ports – are being fast-tracked to meet oil-related demand. Private capital could accelerate growth through co-financing with the government or sharing design-build expertise. In mining, there is a growing interest in partnering in exploration and responsible extraction techniques.

      As for renewables, once cheap power comes online locally, private firms can deploy solar and battery projects at scale, reducing energy costs and carbon emissions. Overall, private companies bring efficiency, technology transfer and project management skills that complement the government’s vision and funding.

      With power costs expected to drop – likely by around 50% – we will see rapid uptake of electric vehicles and solar installations Strengthening net-metering policies, increasing feed-in tariffs for excess generation and offering tax credits or accelerated depreciation for renewable capital assets will further shorten payback periods – currently around three to four years – and spur private sector investment.

    • The project was conceived as an upscale, master-planned community to serve both diaspora and tourists. The Mahaica Bay project’s scale and ambition signal that Guyana is ready for large, sophisticated developments and that we welcome foreign equity. It shows investors that we have the political stability, legal framework and market demand to support premium projects.

    • Our farms are on a small scale compared to major exporters, and we lack both the large-scale equipment and the technical expertise for high-volume production. To close that gap, we need strategic partnerships, particularly with countries like Brazil and the USA that have advanced research and development segments, mechanization and logistics networks. Joint ventures, technology-transfer agreements and co-investment in cold-chain facilities would enable us to scale rapidly and meet international standards.

      Guyana offers an open and liberal investment climate with minimal restrictions. However, it is still in its early stages. Unlike a mature market where you can plug and play, working in Guyana often requires building infrastructure and navigating nascent regulatory processes. That said, now is the ideal time; competition is low, government spending is rising and sectors from agriculture to services are hungry for capital. Investors who embrace the pioneering spirit will find tremendous upside over the next decade.