Don’t Give Up On Guyana!!
EDWARD HARRIS AT LARGE!
DONâ€T GIVE UP ON GUYANA,
GO FOR YOUR PIECE OF THE INVESTMENT ACTION!!!
Although Guyana is in a state of preparations for elections, it is not just business as usual with respect to attracting investors to the country. I had the pleasure of spending Emancipation Day in Georgetown and thereafter took some time off to look around the country and speak with decision makers in the government and private sector.
I have been hearing so much about the developments in Region 3, especially in the Parika district that I insisted on seeing the developments in the district for myself. I was very impressed with the level of business activity which has transformed the area. It was an eye opener. Imagine on a Sunday that major firms like Courts, Gafoor’s were opened for business. The business houses were opened, every type of grocery, ground provisions, green vegetables and fruits were on sale, vendors lining the street on both sides for over a mile, leading to the Parika Stelling. The area was bustling with enterprise and is well serviced by banks. This district has evolved primarily because it is strategically located to serve the islands and communities along the Essequibo River.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Mr. Geoffrey Da Silva, Chief Executive Officer of Guyana Office for Investment (Go Invest) in his office on Camp and Church Streets and he outlined the several developments taking place in the country and pointed to the many successes of Go – Invest. He was very proud of Guyana’s Open Trade Policy and he informed me that already there is a steady flow of investors and visitors seeking to establish a presence in Guyana. This influx will substantially increase with the establishment of the CSME. In the immediate term, with the level of infrastructural development and the obvious demand for domestic, commercial, industrial and institutional buildings, there is a serious need for construction workers in Guyana and it is very likely that workers will have to be sourced from outside the region. This situation is very much the same in the other states as they prepare for CWC 2007.
It should be of interest to note that the Government of Guyana has opened up to investors an opportunity to receive waiver of Customs levies on building materials and furnishings to erect a minimum of ten houses in time for Cricket World Cup in 2007 for the accommodation of visitors, with the option of selling the buildings after CWC 2007.
This is a great investment for groups of Guyanese, friends and business associates coming together to make an investment for profit or simply to develop communities for their own retirement. Anyway you just can’t lose.
There is also investment opportunity in the transportation sector, any passenger bus with 30 seats and over could be imported Duty Free. The demand for transportation will be strong in the future as the country steps up its preparations for CWC 2007 and the spin off tourist arrivals subsequently.
Go-Invest is promoting investments and manufacturing, and the Guyana Marketing Corporation is collaborating with this agency in its export drive. In recent years several Trade Missions were mounted in several islands of the Caribbean, Toronto and during the month of August, 2005 a Mission will head for New York.
A final investment opportunity I would like to draw to your attention in this article is in the retail sector where the Gafoor Group of Companies is in the completion stage of a Shopping Mall with three floors and approximately one hundred units. This will be an excellent opportunity for the Diaspora to invest in several areas of business as in discussion with the CEO of the Group, he showed me the floor plans which include allocation for Super Market, Food Court, Bank, and several other services which will attract customers for most goods and services.
GUY EXPO 2005 is scheduled to be held on September 23-27, 2005. I will like to encourage you to visit Guyana at this time and attend this exhibition so that you could have a first hand look at the many goods and services that our brothers and sisters are producing and the level of success they are achieving. Last year acting in my capacity of President of the Guyana St. Lucia Association in collaboration with Mr. Lokesh Singh, Honorary Consul for Guyana to St. Lucia, I had the pleasure of leading a delegation comprising of 12 St. Lucians and Guyanese. This year it is hoped that with the favourable results reported from the last experience, the delegation would be increased by a minimum of one hundred percent.
If you are keen on investing, do not ignore Guyana, it is a real investment destination. There are lots of opportunities and many areas of activity begging for new and innovative ideas. Guyana still has opportunities that will create substantial wealth for those who have the ability to see the big picture where Guyana will evolve as a major player among the English Speaking Caribbean States. A new day is dawning for Guyana as we witness the developments in the Bauxite, Gold and Diamond Mining, Bridging of the Corentyne River to Surinam and hopefully oil will be on the cards as well in the not too distant future. It might be a good thing to visualize what is yet to be actualize and begin to truly feel the potential so that the pride which is ours can come alive in us. Visit: www.goinvest.gov.gy/guyana.html for information on investing in Guyana.
The season of politics is very evident as the Election personnel are currently being trained and procedures are being put in place. The political parties are positioning themselves and the debate continues on the rules that will govern the elections.
God is in charge, keep the Faith!
Edward Harris
Email: thenetworker@candw.lc
www.stluciasimplybeautiful.com