By LCN Business Desk
The same American lender met two South American governments in the same week. President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali met Export-Import Bank Chairman and President John Jovanovic in New York on Monday 21 September, ahead of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Guyana's Department of Public Information reported.
On Tuesday 22 September the bank signed the U.S.-Argentina Build the Future Framework, making up to US$7 billion available through 2027 for railways, pipelines, ports and power networks tied to energy security and critical minerals. The State Department published a fact sheet the same week launching what it calls the Andes-Atlantic Corridor.
What did each country come away with?
| Guyana, Monday 21 September | Argentina, Tuesday 22 September | |
|---|---|---|
| Form | A meeting and a project list | A signed framework |
| Ceiling | None stated | Up to US$7 billion |
| End date | None stated | Through 2027 |
| Named sectors | Gas to energy, port, hydropower, airport, housing, security | Energy, critical minerals, export infrastructure |
| Corridor branding | None | Andes-Atlantic Corridor, launched by the State Department |
Source: Guyana's Department of Public Information on the New York meeting, and the Export-Import Bank announcement of 22 September 2026.
Which Guyanese projects were named?
Six. The completion of gas to energy at Wales in Region Three, a second phase of the same project, a deepwater port in Berbice, the Amaila Falls hydropower project in Region Eight, the Lethem airport development, and an affordable housing construction project being advanced with American companies.
President Ali said EXIM "will be part of a structure that will see the investment in this port, the widening of EXIM support and investment in Guyana, now into housing, security, and other areas of national interest". Jovanovic replied: "President Ali, your success is Guyana's success in this regard, and Guyana's success is our success."
A figure has been reported for one of the six. HGPTV put the bank's commitment for gas-to-energy Phase Two at up to US$550 million in direct debt financing, for a plant designed to extract about 5,800 barrels a day of natural gas liquids from 70 million cubic feet a day of rich gas. Kaieteur News carried the same US$550 million figure. No dollar amount appears in the government's own release.
What is an export credit agency actually offering?
Finance so that a foreign buyer can pay an American supplier. Reuters reported that the Argentine package works by helping companies there obtain loans to buy American equipment and hire American firms. It is not aid, not a grant, and not a sovereign loan to the borrowing country.
That structure sets what can be built with it. A rail line financed this way is an American-equipment rail line. The facility is worth what a country can find to buy from the United States, and the Guyanese housing project was described in the same terms, as being advanced in partnership with American companies.
Where do the six projects stand at home?
Gas to energy is the one with the longest record. The Prime Minister said bills will not halve until the plant runs at full capacity, set against the schedule in Bills Will Not Halve Until the Plant Runs at Full Capacity. The Ministry of Natural Resources has said the Wales site will carry 600 megawatts while the project under construction is 300, in The Resource Ministry Says Wales Will Carry 600 MW.
Costs are published unevenly. Guyana publishes what each solar farm costs and has not published what the power plant costs, reported in Guyana Publishes What Each Solar Farm Costs. While the plant is unfinished the country is negotiating for a third powership, costed in What a Third Powership Would Cost Guyana.
Why does Argentina get the corridor branding?
Its minerals are further along. Chile, Argentina and Brazil are racing to refine lithium while Guyana is still mapping whether it has any, reported in Chile, Argentina and Brazil Race to Refine Lithium. Washington came to Georgetown about critical minerals in August, covered in The Deputy Secretary of State Is in Georgetown to Talk Critical Minerals.
Argentina's other financing is not all it appears. This newspaper established that its currency swap with China reads US$19 billion while under US$700 million was still owed, in Argentina's China Swap Reads US$19 Billion.
A ceiling is not a drawdown, and a meeting is not a facility. What Argentina holds is a number with a date on it. What Guyana holds is six projects a lender has said it will look at, one of which carries a reported figure.
What the title card shows
- Monday 21 September 2026: when President Ali met Export-Import Bank Chairman John Jovanovic in New York, ahead of the 81st United Nations General Assembly. Source: Guyana's Department of Public Information.
- Tuesday 22 September 2026: when the same bank signed the U.S.-Argentina Build the Future Framework.
- Up to US$7 billion, through 2027: the Argentine ceiling, for railways, pipelines, ports and power networks.
- Six Guyanese projects named: gas to energy at Wales and its second phase, a Berbice deepwater port, Amaila Falls hydropower, the Lethem airport, and affordable housing.
- Up to US$550 million: the figure reported for gas-to-energy Phase Two. No dollar amount appears in the government's own release.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the United States Export-Import Bank?
A federal agency that finances purchases of American goods and services by foreign buyers. It lends or guarantees so that a buyer abroad can pay an American supplier, which means its facilities support American exports as much as the borrower's infrastructure.
What did Guyana and EXIM discuss?
Six projects: completing gas to energy at Wales, a second phase of it, a deepwater port in Berbice, the Amaila Falls hydropower project, the Lethem airport development, and an affordable housing project being advanced with American companies.
How much has EXIM committed to Guyana?
The government's release carries no dollar figure. HGPTV and Kaieteur News have reported up to US$550 million in direct debt financing for gas-to-energy Phase Two.
What did Argentina sign?
The U.S.-Argentina Build the Future Framework, on 22 September 2026, making up to US$7 billion available through 2027 for railways, pipelines, ports and power networks tied to energy and critical minerals.