Maduro’s exit could open doors for Guyana-Venezuela trade

PSC Chairman, Captain Gerry Gouveia Jr.

Guyana stands to benefit from improved trade opportunities with Venezuela as its routes remain secure, even amid uncertainty surrounding the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

This is according to Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Captain Gerry Gouveia Jr., who spoke during an exclusive interview on the latest edition of Ignite News Insights. He elaborated on what this potential transition could mean for Guyana’s trade, border security, and supply chains.
“A lot of our economic and logistics trade routes have nothing to do with Venezuela. Along our border towns, yes, there’s a lot of cross-border trade and movement. But that is usually, and traditionally, very decentralized from what’s happening in Caracas.

What I can see is that with the removal of Maduro, and once the new president is in place, we can actually see better trade between Guyana and Venezuela. And within the region, higher levels of stability and trade,” Gouveia noted.
He also highlighted ongoing challenges for Guyana’s imports, exports, and supply chain given the shifting political landscape.

“The biggest challenge that I see is that we’re already struggling with cargo shipments in and out of Guyana, specifically through the US. There’s just not enough uplift available to Guyanese businesses as we continue to grow our economy exponentially. So we’re currently adding more shipping routes and airlines to fly cargo in and out of Guyana, and the need is growing every single day,” he explained.

Gouveia pointed out that Venezuela, which has been largely closed off to Western trade routes and companies—including Guyana—for the past two decades, now presents a significant new opportunity.
“The challenge that I see, actually, is that with Venezuela being a market that has been relatively closed off, we now have a new market. So we’re going to see a lot more companies entering Venezuela, especially shipping companies,” he said.

The PSC Chairman added that the business community has already begun mitigating risks associated with the political shift, and he expressed optimism that a smooth transition could restore Venezuela’s economy.
Once stability is established, Gouveia said, Guyanese companies could view this as a launching point for greater investment.