Guyana in ‘advanced’ talks with Suriname on Corentyne Bridge – Finance Minister

Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh, speaking on the second day of a high‑level Jamaican export and investment mission, outlined Guyana’s ambitious transport infrastructure plan which includes the Corentyne River Bridge linking Guyana and Suriname.

On Friday, Dr. Singh revealed that talks have advanced between the two countries on the construction of the bridge.

“We are building the bridge to Suriname, we haven’t started the bridge but we are in an advanced stage of discussions with our Surinamese counterparts on building that bridge. And, of course Suriname has had an election recently, so once things settle we will resume those discussions,” Dr. Singh told those gathered at the meeting on Friday at the Marriott Hotel in Georgetown.

 The Corentyne River Bridge is seen as a critical infrastructure project aimed at strengthening connectivity between Guyana and Suriname, while also advancing broader regional integration with Brazil.

The Finance Minister also spoke on the progress of the construction of the Linden-Lethem Highway with phase one progressing smoothly along with the completion of dozens of bridges. Once completed, the highway will unlock more trade opportunities between Guyana and Brazil.

“We recognise that historically one of the biggest impediments to our competitiveness has been the smallness of our economy, if you are producing something for only 800,000 persons you are doing it in the absence of any real economies of scale, certainly compared to if you are doing it for 8 or 80 million people.

“And, so we want to expand the economic space in which anybody doing business in Guyana is operating in and there are obvious advantages if we are to have better transport connectivity with Brazil and with Suriname,” Dr Singh stated.

He further added that the transport infrastructure underway will not only improve the country’s economy but also allow for the establishment of new communities and agricultural lands.

Minister Singh noted that port and maritime infrastructure improvements are also underway to boost shipping links across the region and globally.

“So transport infrastructure is big priority for us not only for connectivity with our neighbours but also to improve connectivity between regions in Guyana,” Dr. Singh said.