European Investment Bank prospecting here

Yves Ferreira, head of regional representation for the Caribbean at the European Investment Bank (EIB), on Friday visited Guyana for a series of meetings with various stakeholders to seek to identify lending opportunities in the private and public sector.

He was to meet with Minister of Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, representatives from the local commercial banks, the Guyana Power and Light (GPL), Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), Caricom Secretariat and the private sector, a release from the Delegation of the European Union (EU) said.

The mission concentrated on opportunities in infrastructure, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) financing and climate action.
Climate action is one of the EU’s priorities and is compatible with the EIB’s activities as it can contribute with its worldwide expertise in climate mitigation and adaptation.

The release said that between 1978 and 2004, the EIB committed a total of 63 million Euros in Guyana through nine loans.

EIB funds have been deployed for the financing of the following sectors:  forestry (5%), mining (58%), water and sanitation (15%) and the financial sector to support micro, small and medium sized companies’ development (22%).