Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has poured cold water on claims that Chinese nationals are being handed licences to operate Guyana’s quarries and sandpits, calling the notion not just inaccurate, but unfair to the Guyanese entrepreneurs who are finally getting their chance to grow.
“It’s a fallacy,” Jagdeo said frankly at his weekly press briefing on Thursday. “The licences are going to our people. Guyanese people.”
Since taking office in 2020, the government has pushed to open up opportunities in the construction and extractive sectors, and Jagdeo shared that the number of operating quarries has more than doubled, from six to 16, during this period. At the same time, production has soared from under 740,000 tonnes annually to a staggering 3.3 million tonnes.
But he was clear: those ten new quarry licences? All went to Guyanese.
“Yes, some of them may contract Chinese operators for technical support or machinery,” Jagdeo explained. “But the ownership the licence, is Guyanese. It’s important people understand that difference.”
And it’s not just about who holds the paper. The Vice President pointed to the tangible benefits this expansion has brought. The cost of stone, for example, has dropped from $18,000 per tonne to around $8,200. That’s real relief for local contractors and families trying to build homes.
“When the prices drop, the savings ripple down to the people building a home for their family. To the small contractor bidding on a school or a bridge. That’s the kind of progress we’re talking about,” he said.
Sand production has seen similar growth. From just 18 permit holders in 2020, the number has climbed to 67 in 2024. Output has exploded from under 700,000 tonnes to 12 million tonnes annually. Again, Jagdeo underscored: “Not a single one of those permits was issued to Chinese nationals.”
The Vice President acknowledged that there’s growing unease among some Guyanese who fear that foreign interests, particularly Chinese, may be edging out locals. But he urged citizens to look beyond the chatter and see what’s really happening on the ground.
“Let’s look at the facts,” he said. “Over $52 billion is being spent in the housing sector just along the East Coast, and not one of those housing contracts is being executed by a Chinese firm. Same with the 5,000 house lots at Wales those are all Guyanese builders.”
Jagdeo acknowledged that some Chinese firms are working on large infrastructure projects like the East Coast Road expansion and the new Demerara Harbour Bridge, but he was quick to point out that they secured those projects through competitive bidding.
“They didn’t get a free pass,” he said. “They’re doing specific sections of these projects, like less than 10% of the Heroes Highway. And again, they’re moving materials like stone and sand, just like any other contractor would.”
He added that Chinese involvement is mostly limited to private sector projects like hotels, which are not being funded by the government. “That’s business. That’s different.”
Still, Jagdeo made it clear that foreign nationals working in Guyana, no matter who they are, must play by the rules. “They have to follow our laws, our labour standards. That’s non-negotiable.”
In a country where the extractive industry has long been dominated by a few, Jagdeo’s remarks sought to champion the growing wave of Guyanese business owners now at the helm of quarrying and construction projects.
“These are people from right here, people who’ve waited years for a chance to get into this space. And now that they’re finally getting contracts, permits, opportunities… we can’t let misinformation steal that moment from them,” he said with conviction.
As Guyana’s infrastructure boom continues, the Vice President’s message was simple yet powerful: this growth is not foreign-led it’s Guyanese-driven. And at a time when the country is rapidly evolving, he urged citizens to keep their eyes on the facts, not the fear.
“It’s our people who are working. Our people who are earning. That’s the story that needs to be told.”
