The inaugural Berbice Development Summit 2025 opened with a clear message from President Dr. Irfaan Ali: Berbice is poised to become Guyana’s next industrial revolution.
This development will be supported by accelerated timelines, unprecedented infrastructure development, and the full monetisation of the nation’s gas resources by 2030.
Over three days, local and international investors, technical experts, and global industry leaders will gather to examine development options for Berbice. President Ali underscored that Berbice’s development will also benefit regional partners.
“We cannot look at the development of Guyana, the development of Berbice, and the development of our deep-water port without understanding how Guyana is integrated with Brazil, CARICOM, and the rest of the world,” the Head of State said.
The President emphasised Berbice’s growing importance to northern Brazil, noting that the region’s biggest disadvantage is its long travel time to the Atlantic Ocean. Guyana, he said, offers Brazil a significant reduction in export time and cost, which simultaneously strengthens Guyana’s role as a regional logistics and energy hub.
President Ali outlined several government investments aimed at unlocking Berbice’s industrial potential. These include: a deep-water port, road connectivity linking Guyana to northern Brazil, a new Berbice River Bridge, two Hope-like canals, the Corentyne River Bridge connecting Guyana and Suriname, a new four-lane highway from New Amsterdam to Moleson Creek, and a municipal airport at Rose Hall.
“This plan alone will take a country our size, maybe 15 years of planning to get completed, but this infrastructure I have outlined here, we are pursuing to have it all completed within five years,” President Ali stated.
He also affirmed that Guyana must monetise its gas resources before 2030.
“I am not willing to push monetisation beyond 2030. Constitutionally, I have an election in 2031, and I can’t run again. I’m not leaving this decision for anyone after me. Any option that does not allow this country to monetise gas before 2030 will not have the type of support that I would like to give,” Dr. Ali stated firmly.
Vice President and Commercial Manager at ExxonMobil Guyana, Paul Foster, highlighted that digital and industrial investments in Berbice will diversify Guyana’s economy, create high-quality jobs, and deliver long-term benefits.
The Wales gas-to-energy project, Guyana’s first gas development venture, is progressing well, and that will serve as a model for the much larger Berbice development.
Key investments in Berbice will include: power plants, advanced data centres, heavy industrial zones, a Berbice gas pipeline, railway connectivity, subsea cable landing stations, terrestrial fiber, and water infrastructure, along with alumina, direct reduced iron (DRI), and fertiliser plants.
“So, in looking at these strategic objectives across Guyana, what does it deliver?
“It delivers digital infrastructure, education, healthcare, all those things that are necessary to really lift Guyana’s economy up,” he said.
Foster revealed that the groundwork for Berbice’s major projects is expected by 2028, with electricity capacity projected to exceed two gigawatts, enabling large-scale data centre operations and heavy industry.
Importantly, he highlighted that Berbice’s transformation will require a highly skilled workforce. So other plans in the region include the development of vocational training, STEM education, digital upskilling, and leadership programmes to prepare Guyanese for new economic opportunities.
“Our strategy goes beyond bricks and mortar, we are investing in people as well, all of this new development, all of these opportunities require skillset to be developed,” Foster said.
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