Chief Executive Officer of IDB Invest, James Scriven, has shown great faith in Guyana’s future economy and its policies for fostering private-sector growth. He referred to the country as one of the best in the region for making investments.
During a recently televised programme on NCN, ‘Growth in Motion,’ the CEO said the transformation in the country’s investment climate over the past few years has been significant, crediting the clear shift in how development is being approached.
He explained that his early visits to Guyana did not immediately present strong investment opportunities. However, that reality changed, beginning about four years ago.
“When I met the minister for the first time and met the president for the first time, I realised that something was changing here. And then is when we got together [and] went through an intense strategy of where and how to invest,” the CEO stated.
According to Scriven, one of the most significant changes influencing investor confidence is the government’s deliberate focus on creating an enabling environment for private sector-led development.
He noted that this shift, combined with structured engagement between IDB Invest and local authorities, has created a stronger pipeline of viable projects and investment opportunities.
The CEO also highlighted the importance of local presence and knowledge in strengthening investment outcomes, pointing to the establishment of an office in Georgetown and the recruitment of Guyanese staff.
Scriven spoke of the rapid expansion of his organisation’s portfolio in Guyana as evidence of his renewed confidence. According to him, the institution has moved from minimal engagement to significant investment activity within a few years.
And this is only the beginning of deeper involvement, he stressed.
“We are extremely optimistic about the future of Guyana. We will be investing disproportionately (large) amounts of money in this country,” he said, citing intentions to scale up investment across multiple sectors, including tourism, agriculture, infrastructure, telecommunications, and even data services.
He said the organisation’s role as a development institution is centred on job creation, services, and long-term economic transformation.
A recent example of this engagement, he noted, was investment in hospitality infrastructure, which has already generated employment and contributed to Guyana’s growing services sector.
In addition, the institution is moving beyond traditional financing models to support a wide range of development needs, including equity participation and local currency financing.
The CEO said his institution is ready to receive and evaluate investment proposals through its local office, signalling commitment to long-term engagements in Guyana.