WITH THE need for more foreign direct investments to drive economic development here, Guyanese are not without the capabilities to rise to the occasion.
For starters Guyana has a ready and willing diaspora desirous of investing in the economy. Additional to the exposure to other cultures, and in some instances better technologies, their acquired skills, talents, and other resources are worthwhile of being explored and harnessed. For years this resource pool has been seeking to make a contribution and thus far still await a one-stop facility to facilitate this need.

The view that investment for the establishment of new development should be predicated on foreign initiatives could be re-visited. There is little denying where this pre-occupation exists it could serve as de-motivator, create complacency, stifle the creative capabilities of the people, create avenues for perpetual exploitation, and undermine sovereignty.
The government’s developmental focus on the Green Economy model creates the possibility for new forms of investments which could be encouraged and realised by the local sectors – private, state and cooperative- and diaspora.

There is a view that foreigners and non-Guyanese desirous of investing here get preferential treatment by state agencies and the banking community. That this perception exists, whether true or not, it would be to government advantage to revisit and seek to correct same. For Guyanese, domestic and in the diaspora, being able to invest in Guyana is being able to own a piece of Guyana, which breathes greater loyalty to country and fellow citizens.
There exists much opportunities in a Green Economy. Organic farming is one of them and it includes the production of fertiliser, new ways of disposing and reconstituting waste, liquid and solid.In 2014,the global organic food industry was pegged at US$80B and growing.
Guyana has much pristine forest and virgin land and opportunities are limitless for citizens to penetrate this market. Where organic alternatives to sweeteners and food seasonings  are being pursued, in the presence of sugar and rice experiencing challenges, redirecting of focus in creating opportunities for bee rearing to produce honey and the production of herbal spices/condiments are viable economic alternatives.

The Israelis have a community called the Kibbutz which engages in agriculture along the cooperative principles. It is understood that this group is already in our savannahs producing foods for export. Our local cooperative sector can be looked at through providing strong intervention and technical support from the government to capitalise on the opportunities the green economy offers.

The idea was mooted in Region 10 by the previous Regional Democratic Council to create economic and employment opportunities for the residents by engaging in hydroponic farming. If this idea is not yet built on,it is deserving of further exploration for implementation. Guyana has numerous springs that afford the opportunity for exporting water. Transparency Market Research predicts that the global bottled water market is expected to reach US$279.65B in 2020.

A visit to the supermarkets and stalls will show heavy reliance on the importation of foreign foods and toiletries such as tamarind balls, plantain chips, loafer brush, herbal teas, etc, that can be produced here for local and international markets.  In addition to expanding the eco-tourism industry, there can be the examination of creating local investment in state companies ownership, by going public and selling shares on the stock market. Banks DIH and DDL have successfully utilised this model.

Looking inward to attract investment requires State involvement and direction. China’s economic prowess and global influence have been achieved through the establishing of State companies that are involved in day-to-day business. This interest spawns the mining, construction, and trade sectors, among other areas. Rather than await foreigners coming into our extractive sectors, government could look at examining state companies with the prime intention to benefit significantly from our precious minerals.

Where foreign investment does not focus on developing our local economy and the people, its importance to development should be lower down the totem pole. One of the contentions with the parking meter is that the contract awards 80 percent of the revenue to a foreign investor who most likely would repatriate it. There have been negative reviews of the benefits and treatment the economy and Guyanese have experienced, as in the instances of Bai Shan Lin and the Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated.
There are lessons to be learnt and benefits to be derived investing in Guyana. It’s better served when the primacy of investment is looked at through lens and programmes of empowering the people to utilise their resources for their development. Given the right environment Guyanese can do it and compete in the international market.