The Opposition was left visibly stunned in the National Assembly today as the Government decisively laid bare the scale, depth, and results of non-oil investments delivered over the last five years, investments that have transformed Guyana’s economy, created tens of thousands of jobs, and reduced dependence on oil revenues.
When Hon. Gail Teixeira, MP, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, placed the numbers on the record in the National Assembly, they laid bare the Guyana Office for Investment’s performance over the past five years, quantifiable proof of strategic execution, disciplined investment facilitation, and tangible economic results that could not be dismissed. In 2025 alone, the agency facilitated GYD $157 billion in total investments, comprising GYD $86 billion in foreign direct investment, GYD $64 billion in local investment, and GYD $5.9 billion in joint ventures, clear evidence of both international confidence and strong domestic participation in Guyana’s non-oil economy.
Hon. Peter R. Ramsaroop, MP, Chief Investment Officer and Agency Head of the Guyana Office for Investment, said the facts presented exposed the Opposition’s narrative as hollow and disconnected from reality.
“For five years, while the Opposition talked, this Government invested—strategically, deliberately, and across every major non-oil sector of the economy,” Ramsaroop said. “The results are undeniable: jobs created, businesses expanded, regions transformed, and a diversified economy that is stronger, more resilient, and people-centred.”
Over the period 2020–2025, Guyana has recorded unprecedented non-oil investment activity across agriculture, agro-processing, manufacturing, tourism, logistics, construction, housing, ICT, energy services, health care, and education. These investments have generated sustained employment, expanded local enterprise, strengthened exports, and anchored growth in communities across all regions.
Between 2020 and 2025, the Guyana Office for Investment facilitated over GYD $1 trillion in signed non-oil investments—recognizing that not all investments are required to pass through the agency—executed more than 180 Investment Agreements, and secured commitments for over 32,000 direct and indirect jobs. In 2025 alone, the agency approved GYD $157 billion in new projects, further accelerating economic diversification and regional development.
Ramsaroop noted that non-oil sectors have consistently delivered strong growth, absorbing labour, supporting small and medium-sized businesses, and ensuring that economic expansion reaches ordinary Guyanese—not just balance sheets.
“This Government made a conscious decision to build an economy by design—not by accident,” he said. “That means investing beyond oil, creating real jobs, lowering the cost of doing business, and ensuring Guyanese are participants, not spectators, in their own development.”
He added that the Opposition’s failure to acknowledge these achievements reflects not ignorance of the numbers, but discomfort with them.
“They were stunned today because the evidence is overwhelming. You cannot heckle away jobs. You cannot shout down factories, farms, hotels, ports, roads, and businesses that now exist because of deliberate policy choices.”
Ramsaroop reaffirmed that the Government will continue to accelerate non-oil investment under President Mohamed Irfaan Ali’s Vision 2030, ensuring that growth remains broad-based, inclusive, and anchored in long-term national development.
“The people of Guyana can be confident: modernized diversification is real, the jobs are real, and the future we are building together is real.”
