标签： Guyana

On Friday, September 11, 2026, One Communications — the rebranded former GTT telecommunications provider in Guyana — revealed key details of its long-planned network expansion into the country’s low-population hinterland regions, highlighting financial sustainability as the core barrier to widespread rollout. CEO Abraham Smith shared updates on the firm’s strategy during an official press briefing, noting that the full three-year investment roadmap covering 2027 through 2029 will be finalized by the middle of 2027. At this stage, he declined to specify an exact number of underserved communities that will gain access to the provider’s services, as internal planning is still ongoing.

Right now, many remote hinterland communities located close to Guyana’s border with Venezuela, including the small settlement of Imbotero, remain almost entirely disconnected from coverage offered by the country’s major telecom firms. Local residents who can afford satellite service rely on Starlink for basic internet access, while even reliable mobile phone service remains out of reach for most. Responding to questions from Demerara Waves Online News, Smith confirmed that national security considerations are factored into the company’s expansion planning, but said that any project must ultimately pencil out financially to move forward. To unlock expansion in commercially unviable areas, he proposed a public-private partnership model, where targeted projects could be developed jointly with the Guyanese government rather than relying solely on the company’s regular capital allocation.

“In a competitive market landscape, we have to carefully assess funding structures and projected returns on every investment we make,” Smith explained. “We are open to collaborating with the current administration on one-off dedicated projects to extend service, but for our standard capital planning process, financial and operational factors have to take priority.”

Currently, One Communications and other major local providers are waiting on the Guyanese government to finalize timelines for activating the long-planned universal service obligation fund. This fund is designed to collect contributions from telecom operators to finance service rollout in low-density regions where commercial returns are too low to attract private investment on its own. Smith noted that the Telecommunications Agency is currently working to operationalize the fund, and referred questions about specific timelines to the regulatory body. As of the briefing, no active projects are utilizing the fund, and the company has not set aside contributions in an escrow account, pending the fund’s formal launch. “We are simply waiting for the fund to get up and running,” Smith confirmed.

The update comes just over a week after Guyanese President Irfaan Ali publicly criticized the country’s top telecom providers — including One Communications, Digicel, and ENet — for failing to invest sufficiently in hinterland connectivity. Speaking at the launch of Amerindian Heritage Month on September 2, Ali expressed clear dissatisfaction with the current pace of expansion. “We are unhappy with Digicel, GT&T (now One Communications), ENet and every other service provider,” the President stated. “They need to invest far more in the hinterland. They have to close the digital and communication divide, and I am calling on them to follow through on these investments.”

For its part, One Communications highlighted recent progress it has already made in network upgrades across Guyana. Company officials confirmed that the firm has invested $25 million to expand and upgrade mobile, fixed, and subsea infrastructure across the country. To date, 35 existing cell sites have been upgraded to support 4G LTE technology, bringing faster internet speeds to subscribers spanning a wide swathe of the country: from Moleson Creek in Corentyne on the eastern edge, to Anna Regina in Essequibo on the west, to Linden in the southeast, as well as multiple interior communities. Looking forward, Smith confirmed that the company will cease all new 2G and 3G network development in Guyana, shifting its full focus to modern 4G and next-generation infrastructure going forward.

As a historic El Niño-driven drought parches the Panama Canal’s watershed, the Caribbean Private Sector Organisation (CPSO) has issued an urgent alert for importers and governments across the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to prepare for cascading supply chain disruptions, rising consumer prices and depleted inventory levels.

The prolonged dry spell has forced the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) to implement sweeping transit restrictions that have already upended global maritime shipping. Starting September 4, 2026, the agency capped daily transits at 32 to 34 vessels — a sharp reduction from normal scheduling — after data showed rainfall in the canal’s key water collection areas hit 34% below the historical average between May and August, with river inflows falling 44% short of typical levels. ACP has already warned that further water shortages are likely during the 2027 dry season from January to April, as El Niño’s intensity persists, raising the prospect of even tighter transit limits ahead.

In a formal statement released this week, the CPSO — an associate CARICOM institution representing regional private sector stakeholders including micro, small and medium-sized enterprises — released preliminary analysis quantifying the scale of the region’s exposure. The group estimates that between $8 billion and $10 billion in annual CARICOM imports, equal to 25% to 33% of the region’s total non-fuel import spending, relies on the constrained canal corridor. This figure includes both $4.5 billion to $7 billion in cargo that transits the canal directly, as well as additional goods that pass through the canal before being consolidated at U.S. ports for final shipment to Caribbean markets.

Cost pressures are already mounting across the sector. The CPSO confirmed that a priority auction slot for canal transit recently sold for a record $5.3 million, the highest bid ever recorded for access. Major global shipping lines including CMA CGM, MSC and Hapag-Lloyd have already implemented per-TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) surcharges for all routes dependent on the Panama Canal, with additional rate hikes expected as low water forces further reductions to vessel draft limits.

These added costs will not be absorbed by shipping companies alone, CPSO officials emphasized. “Auction premiums and low-water surcharges do not stay on the carriers’ books,” explained Dr. Patrick Antoine, Chief Executive Officer and Technical Director of the CPSO, in the organization’s statement. “They are passed down the chain to importers, to distributors, and ultimately to the Caribbean consumer. When slot scarcity forces carriers to reroute or rationalise port calls, small Caribbean markets are typically the first to lose frequency and the last to regain it.”

CARICOM economies rank among the most import-dependent in the world, with nearly all food, manufactured goods and construction inputs reaching regional markets via maritime shipping networks that route through or are priced based on Panama Canal access. For consumers, the CPSO warns the risk comes in two overlapping forms: reduced product availability, driven by longer shipping lead times and depleted stock held by importers, and broad-based price increases as surcharges and extended voyage times push up final landed costs.

Compounding the challenge, the Panama Canal disruption comes at a time of already heightened global maritime volatility, with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz also impacted by ongoing conflict. “Two of the world’s critical maritime trade corridors are under pressure simultaneously, one by climate and one by conflict, lifting freight rates, war-risk premiums and fuel costs globally,” the CPSO noted. “For petroleum-importing CARICOM states, that compounds pressure on electricity, transport and food prices at the same time.”

To address the long-term vulnerability of regional supply chains, the CPSO has already advanced a proactive resilience framework with CARICOM leadership. In July 2026, the organization presented its Derisking CSME (Caribbean Single Market and Economy) Imports methodology to the CARICOM Heads of Government Breakfast Meeting in Saint Lucia. The tool maps the region’s exposure to extra-regional supply shocks on a product-by-product basis, and identifies opportunities for intra-regional production and alternative trade corridors to replace vulnerable long-haul imports that rely on chokepoint routes like the Panama Canal.

“Every percentage point of import demand we can shift to regional supply is a percentage point insulated from canal auctions, low-water surcharges and chokepoint conflict,” Dr. Antoine said. “Regional resilience is not built during a crisis. It is built before one.”

The CPSO is currently urging immediate proactive planning from importers, advising stakeholders to enter early discussions with shipping carriers and logistics providers to map alternative routing, estimate potential surcharge costs, and adjust inventory plans for the final quarter of 2026 and the 2027 dry season. The organization also confirmed it continues to advance the region’s trade connectivity agenda alongside CARICOM leaders, the World Bank’s Caribbean Reconnect Programme, and a regional ferry service initiative currently under review by CARICOM heads of government.

On September 10, 2026, Canada-based gold exploration and development firm Mako Mining announced major progress on its high-stakes Eagle Mountain gold project in Guyana, after formalizing a binding mineral agreement with the Guyanese government that paves the way for full construction and long-term operations. The agreement secures a stable regulatory, fiscal and operational framework for the project through Mako’s 100% owned Guyanese subsidiary, Stronghold Guyana Inc., marking one of the largest private mining investments in Guyana’s recent history.

Per the terms of the agreement, which is structured under Guyana’s existing Mining Act, Mako will benefit from 10 years of legal stability for all prospecting, mining and operating authorizations, paired with fixed fiscal terms that align with standard industry agreements finalized in Guyana in recent years. After the initial 10-year term, both parties have agreed to either extend the agreement on the same terms or renegotiate terms in good faith. The deal also formalizes Mako’s binding commitments to local employment, workforce training, environmental stewardship, community development and the prioritization of qualified Guyanese workers, local goods and domestic contractors, matching the terms of other comparable national mining agreements.

Mako Mining CEO Akiba Leisman confirmed that the company is investing up to $120 million to develop the open-pit Eagle Mountain site, which sits near Mahdia in Guyana’s Region 8, Potaro-Siparuni, approximately 200 kilometers southwest of the capital Georgetown. To date, the firm has already injected more than $30 million into early-stage development, completing preliminary work on minor on-site infrastructure. Full-scale major construction is scheduled to kick off in the third quarter of 2027, with a 14 to 15-month build timeline that puts the project on track to pour its first gold by December 2028.

Current geological assessments peg the site’s total gold resources across all categories at approximately 1.8 million ounces. Mako’s 2024 mine plan initially targeted extraction of 1.2 million ounces from the open-pit operation, with an expected recovery of roughly 1.1 million ounces of refined gold. Leisman noted that the company will complete an updated reserve estimate over the next 12 months ahead of full construction, to refine production projections. The mine is currently projected to have a 15-year operational lifespan, and will directly employ approximately 250 local Guyanese workers once operational.

In line with its community and regulatory commitments, Mako will begin annual funding for local development initiatives no later than 24 months after the mining license is granted, or 12 months after production launches, whichever comes first. The company has also committed to ongoing annual contributions to Guyana’s Ministry of Natural Resources Training Centre, earmarked for workforce skills development, capacity building and institutional improvement across the country’s mining sector.

Guyana’s Ministry of Natural Resources noted that Mako has operated in the country for more than a decade, building deep, long-standing ties to Guyana’s mining industry and local communities. The ministry called the mineral agreement signing a transformative milestone for the development of the Eagle Mountain resource, noting that it reflects the government’s ongoing commitment to attracting responsible private investment to grow Guyana’s natural resources sector.

Mako Mining President Steve Parsons emphasized that the agreement eliminates key regulatory uncertainty for the project, de-risking the development by locking in clear legal and fiscal terms. “The commitments around local employment, training, environmental protection and community growth align directly with Mako’s core operating values, which have guided our successful work across our global portfolio of mining assets,” Parsons said. “We greatly value the partnership and support from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, and we look forward to continuing this collaborative approach as we advance the Eagle Mountain project.”

Looking ahead, Mako’s next key milestone is securing final environmental authorization from Guyana’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The company submitted its full Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) to the EPA in March 2026, and completed the mandated public comment period in June of the same year. Mako plans to submit the final revised ESIA, incorporating feedback from local stakeholders and regulatory bodies, in the fourth quarter of 2026, with a final permitting decision from the EPA expected shortly after that.

The Ministry of Natural Resources reaffirmed its commitment to supporting responsible development, stating that it will continue working alongside the GGMC, EPA and other relevant national agencies to support Mako’s progress, while enforcing full compliance with Guyanese law and protecting the country’s environmental, social and long-term economic interests.

In an announcement made during a private sector-focused workshop in Georgetown on Wednesday, the United Kingdom Export Finance (UKEF), Britain’s official export credit agency, outlined new financing terms for Guyanese imports that carve out a clear exception for non-oil sector activity while adhering to the UK government’s formal fossil fuel financing policy.

Senior UKEF officials emphasized that while direct financing for oil and gas sector contracts is off the table in line with national climate policy, the agency will not impose blanket restrictions on Guyanese companies active in the country’s growing hydrocarbon supply chain. George Hames, UKEF’s regional head of business origination for the Americas, clarified the key distinction between targeted policy and broad exclusion at the event. “Whilst, unfortunately, we’re not able to help you necessarily in procuring very specific oil and gas equipment, we’re not looking to penalise companies that are active in the wider Guyanese oil and gas supply chain. That’s a really important distinction for us,” Hames explained. He added that no blanket “purity test” will be applied to local firms operating in the oil sector, allowing most Guyanese businesses to still access UKEF-backed financing for non-hydrocarbon purchases from the UK and third-party nations.

The new financing framework includes a notably flexible UK local content requirement, which has drawn praise from Guyana’s top finance official. Unlike most export credit agencies that demand a far higher share of domestic content to qualify for support, UKEF only requires that at least 20 percent of a contract’s total value come from UK suppliers. Guyana’s Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh called the terms unprecedented during his opening address to the workshop, held at Georgetown’s World Trade Centre. “That formula makes UKEF the most flexible export credit agency that I have encountered across the entire spectrum of export credit agencies,” Singh noted, highlighting that most peer agencies require significantly higher domestic content thresholds.

Hames expanded on the reasoning behind the 20 percent rule, explaining it is designed to combine the strengths of UK industrial supply chains with local Guyanese goods, services, and employment. The goal, he said, is to foster new downstream business opportunities for firms in both countries. A £3 billion financial window for Guyana’s public and private sectors was already opened by UKEF several months prior to the workshop, giving eligible projects substantial capital to draw from.

Judith Huijnen, head of the Commonwealth Caribbean section at UKEF, detailed the full range of financing products available to eligible applicants. The agency works through commercial banks and insurers to fill market gaps in lending, offering everything from short-term working capital solutions and bond support to export insurance and long-term buyer credit facilities. For priority sectors including renewable energy, transport infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture, and airport development, UKEF even provides direct fixed-rate lending. Huijnen outlined the risk-mitigation structure of the agency’s guarantees: once a UK exporter signs a commercial contract with a Guyanese buyer, the buyer’s bank issues a loan to pay the exporter, and UKEF provides an unconditional 100 percent repayment guarantee. “The credit risk sits with UKEF,” Huijnen explained. “UKEF de-risks a transaction and unlocks financing. There’s no longer a project risk. The risk sits with the [UK] government.”

UK High Commissioner to Guyana Joseph Fisher underscored the growing economic ties between the two nations at the workshop, noting that Guyana is now the UK’s largest trading partner in the Commonwealth Caribbean. Current trade figures reflect a booming bilateral relationship: total UK-Guyana trade hit a record high of more than £2.2 billion in the 12-month period ending the first quarter of 2026, representing a 35 percent year-on-year increase, and accounting for nearly 44 percent of the UK’s total trade with the Commonwealth Caribbean region.