President Irfaan Ali of Guyana unveiled 25 ministerial Cabinet appointees on Saturday evening, as the government embarks on its new five-year term.
“The work we’re about to embark on is for all of Guyana, every citizen. It’s to reach every home, to reach every family, to reach every community,” Ali said at the swearing-in ceremony, held at State House in Georgetown.
Vickram Bharrat, who served as Minister of Natural Resources in the previous term, has been reappointed to the post, continuing oversight of oil and gas, the resources fueling Guyana’s economic transformation, in conjunction with mining and forestry.
Deodat Indar, who previously served as a minister within the Ministry of Public Works, is now Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation. He will be pivotal in advancing the long-anticipated Gas-to-Energy project, as the state utility company, Guyana Power and Light, prepares to shift domestic electricity generation from imported heavy fuel oil to offshore natural gas. Indar now has oversight of the maritime sector, which is crucial to offshore activities.
Meanwhile, Hugh Todd has been reappointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. His ministry is vital as Guyana defends its sovereignty in the border controversy with Venezuela, a case before the International Court of Justice in which Caracas claims two-thirds of Guyana’s territory. Thus far, Georgetown has secured strong backing from the international community, a diplomatic position that Todd is expected to continue reinforcing.
Notably, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, often described as the government’s chief policy architect for the oil sector, has also retained his post, having been reappointed days before the main Cabinet was sworn in.
Ali’s second term begins at a moment of accelerating oil wealth. Installed production capacity now stands at about 900,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, with Guyana having already received more than US$7.5 billion in oil revenues since production began in December 2019. With additional projects on the horizon, revenues are set to climb further, financing the government’s sweeping infrastructure agenda and expanded social programs.
ExxonMobil, the operator of the Stabroek Block, is expected to bring its Uaru and Whiptail developments online between 2026 and 2028. During the same period, the company is likely to advance the approval processes for its planned Hammerhead and Longtail projects, thereby deepening Guyana’s role as one of the world’s fastest-growing oil producers.
