The Essequibo Islands-West Demerara Chamber of Commerce and Industry re-elected Bhabita Albert as president unopposed on 30 April 2026, confirming her second consecutive term as Region Three moves through the largest infrastructure cycle in its history.
Albert, a principal of Global Commercial Import Transport, Inc., was first elected in April 2025. Her first year repositioned the Chamber as a formal interlocutor with Guyana's central government. Within her first week in office she led the newly constituted executive to a meeting with President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali. By June 2025, Ali had delivered the keynote at an R3CCI networking event, publicly designated Region Three the future industrial capital of Guyana, and asked the Chamber to function as an implementation partner in that vision. An unopposed result confirms the membership has backed that direction without qualification.
"This renewed mandate is not just a vote of confidence," Albert said. "It is a call to deepen our impact. My leadership will continue to be rooted in empowering our youth. They are not just the future of Region Three. They are its present innovators, entrepreneurs and change-makers. We will invest in mentorship, skills development and real opportunities that allow young people to actively shape our economic landscape."
The mandate arrives against the backdrop of transformative capital flows into the region. The Wales Gas-to-Energy project, a 300-megawatt combined-cycle plant targeted for completion by end-2026, is under construction within Region Three. Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo confirmed the total project cost at approximately US$2 billion, according to OilNOW, making it the single largest financial undertaking Guyana has ever pursued. Adjacent to the plant, the 1,400-acre Wales Development Zone is earmarked for fertiliser production, data centres, agro-processing and light manufacturing. La Caribeña News has previously examined the governance questions surrounding the project in Guyana's Gas Gambit: Leader or Laggard on Power Sector Transparency? OilNOW
Connectivity between the region and the capital has also been transformed. The Government of Guyana officially commissioned the new four-lane, high-span, cable-stayed Demerara River Bridge on 5 October 2025, according to the Department of Public Information. The US$260 million structure, built by China Railway Construction (International) Limited, spans 2.6 kilometres and operates toll-free around the clock, improving connectivity between Regions Three and Four. It replaced a floating bridge that had operated for nearly 50 years. DPI GuyanaDemerarawaves
The incoming 2026-2027 executive brings considerable professional depth to the Chamber's leadership. Theon Alleyne, a Certified Regulatory Compliance Professional and Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional with two decades of regulated financial market experience across the United States and the Caribbean, was elevated to Vice President and Public Relations Officer. Alleyne is the author of Letters to a Compliance Officer: What They Never Told You About the Job That Protects Everyone (Team Shaw Caribbean Press, 2026), published this year.
The remaining executive comprises Bibi Meligat, President of the Region 3 Tourism Committee, as Secretary; Bharat Basdeo of Basdeo Engineering Services continuing as Treasurer; Fiaz Khan of TMK 2020, Inc. as Assistant Secretary/Treasurer; Sabrina Algoo of N&S Algoo Licensed Customs Brokerage Services Inc. returning as a Committee Member; and Khaimwatie Seenarine of Smart Learning Guyana joining in the same capacity. Albert's re-election follows a period of growing private sector activity in the region. La Caribeña News reported last week that more than 120 entrepreneurs gathered at the ECONOME Business Conference in Region Three, a marker of the region's expanding commercial momentum. Her emphasis on youth and skills development also connects to an emerging story line on the platform, as covered in Guyana Electric Graduates 14 Electricians to Close a Growing Skills Gap.
The election was overseen by Joshua E. Hammichand and Mark A. Hammichand of MJM Accounting & Management Institute, Inc. The Essequibo Islands-West Demerara Chamber of Commerce and Industry represents the private sector in Guyana's Region Three and is a member of the Private Sector Commission of Guyana.