GEORGETOWN, Guyana — Guyana’s ambitious transport modernization drive is set to accelerate with the signing of a US$156 million loan agreement with the World Bank to support the Integrated Transport Corridors Project (ITCP), the government announced.
The agreement was signed in Washington, D.C., by Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance Dr. Ashni Singh and World Bank Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean Susana Cordeiro Guerra. The signing took place on the margins of the 2025 World Bank Group/IMF Annual Meetings, which run from October 13 to 18.
Approved earlier this year by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors, the ITCP aims to upgrade and rehabilitate key road networks, improve connectivity across regions and enhance the resilience of infrastructure to natural hazards. The project is designed to deliver safer and more reliable transport for citizens while enabling long-term economic growth.
Delivering brief remarks, Singh said the World Bank’s partnership will significantly strengthen the government’s plans to expand and modernize Guyana’s transport corridors.
“This project has the potential to help unlock increased production and productivity in our non-oil economy, such as through farm-to-market roads which facilitate both production and trade, as well as to improve connectivity between communities,” Singh said.
The ITCP aligns with Guyana’s national development goals by supporting agricultural exports and food security through better market access, while also helping to unlock housing and tourism potential by opening up new development areas. It is expected to reduce traffic fatalities through improved road design and safety features and stimulate economic growth by making the movement of goods and people more efficient. Additionally, the project will enhance access to social services such as health and education and strengthen climate resilience with dedicated infrastructure solutions.
The project supports the government’s commitment to modernize infrastructure in line with the People’s Progressive Party/Civic’s (PPP/C) 2025–2030 manifesto. Officials say it is poised to generate significant economic and social returns as the country, under President Irfaan Ali, continues on a path of rapid modernization and expansion.
Over the past five years, the PPP/C administration has implemented some of the most transformative infrastructure projects in Guyana’s history, including new bridges, roads and highways that have reshaped the national landscape. Many of these networks are already in use, reducing travel time and improving safety for road users. The government plans to maintain this pace over the next five years as it seeks to unlock economic potential and improve the quality of life for all citizens.
Among recent achievements is the commissioning of a new bridge across the Demerara River linking Regions 3 and 4. Construction of a second major bridge across the Berbice River—to support cargo movement and position Region 6 as an industrial hub—is expected to begin soon.
Major projects in the pipeline for 2025–2030 include upgrading the Linden to Lethem highway, building bridges at Kurukupari and Puruni, completing the Linden to Soesdyke highway upgrade, and advancing the four-lane East Bank Demerara highway to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. The government also plans to complete the highway from Land of Canaan to the Linden-Soesdyke route, develop Silica City and construct a bridge across the Corentyne River in collaboration with Suriname to open additional regional markets and further strengthen cross-border connectivity.
Officials said the ITCP will help Guyana sustain the momentum of these transformative projects as the country continues its rapid modernization.