At business seminar…
CHAIRMAN of the Private Sector Commission (PSC). Mr. Gerry Gouveia said Tuesday he is optimistic that, over the next few years, Guyana will be catapulted into a development arena as never seen before. He was speaking at the opening of a business seminar organised for the visiting Brazilian delegation at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara.
Emphasising that the Private Sector is an extremely important part of Guyana’s economic development, Gouveia said today it is highly respected as an equal partner in the development of Guyana.
“We work very closely with the Government of Guyana for economic development and I believe, for the first time, there is unprecedented collaboration and partnership between the Public and Private sectors in Guyana,” he stated.
Gouveia admitted that there are times when they will have differences but those are always worked out in good faith, through compromise and dialogue with the Government and other stakeholders.
“We remember, though, a time in Guyana when the Private Sector did not have a voice. It was a very hard time for Guyana in the 1980s,” he recalled.
Gouveia observed that there have been massive developments in Bon Fin, over the years and he also said, in those days when it needed help, the Private Sector in northern Brazil, in Bon Fin and Boa Vista, was extremely helpful and, today, Guyana has turned a corner.
“The Private Sector is on the move and we want to say thank you for being with us during the low times, when the Private Sector was struggling for survival and the Private Sector in Brazil was there,” he acknowledged.
Gouveia said Guyana and Brazil should be equal partners and respect each other.
He said the planning and preparation for the Brazilians visit to Guyana is an example of public/private sectors partnership in Guyana in its finest form.
“We feel comfortable that our Government is open to welcoming foreign investors in Guyana and we, in the Private Sector, welcome foreign investors,” Gouveia assured.
Positing that Guyana is one of the freest economies in this hemisphere, he stated: “We may not be a wealthy economy but we are a healthy economy and this economy has been inspiring confidence in Guyanese businesses to expand, for us to move into new areas of investment and we are doing that because we are seeing an extremely bright future for Guyana.”
Bad mistakes
Gouveia expressed the view that Guyana has made some bad mistakes in the past and one of them was ignoring Brazil and always looking to the North, including the Caribbean, for trading partners.
“I believe the next ten years are going to be nothing like you have seen in the past,” he declared.
Alluding to small changes over the years, Gouveia maintained there is going to be unprecedented economic growth in Guyana.
“We are very happy and proud and honoured to be neighbours with Brazil. Brazil is a world class player on the stage of world economics and world politics today and humanitarian,” he stated.
Gouveia said he hopes to see a lot of partnerships as the two nations embrace the future which he considers to be extremely bright.
“One where the Private Sector will continue to dominate the economic scene; one where the Private Sector will continue to work in good partnership here, in Guyana, with our Government and the Government of Brazil to make the realisation of the development of Northern Brazil, Guyana and Suriname, because, whatever happens here, I think we need to understand that we are sitting between Suriname and Brazil and what is happening here is going to affect, in a positive way, the development of Suriname as well,” he asserted.
Referring to languages, he said he hopes that Portuguese and Dutch will be taught in the school system to break the barriers with the country’s neighbours for economic development.
He pledged that the Private Sector will open up to the visiting delegation and said: “I hope a lot of you will be able to develop relationships with individual businesses, develop linkages with our Private Sector organisations, the manufacturing associations, the tourism associations and all the other organisations across Guyana.
“Because we need that collaboration at the organisational level as well, as we interface with the Public Sector to move economic development further. We must remain the engine of growth in this part of the world,” Gouveia urged.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Guyana Office for Investment (GO-INVEST) Mr. Geoffrey Da Silva agreed that the interaction is one of many that have been taking place for a long time.
“We have been working at this for a long time and it just shows that we have to persevere. We have to be committed to it,” he said.
Outstanding issues
Da Silva also said among the visitors are some officials from the State of Roraima and they will use the opportunity to have discussions on some outstanding issues, because, in building relations, there are always problems or challenges that come up and must be addressed.
He said both parties have been working for a number of months to make the visit possible and added: “I think, from the attendance we are seeing here today, it is a good signal and indication that the Guyanese population is very excited about the possibilities of trade and investment with Brazil and, in particular, Northern Brazil.”
About major projects like the Lethem/Linden road and hydropower, he disclosed that there are others underway, with Brazilian investors right now, in Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo).
Da Silva said some are joint ventures between Guyanese and Brazilians, especially in the agriculture sector like rice and other agricultural produce.
He revealed that there is also a project with a company out of Europe in Region Nine, where, in 2002, GO-INVEST worked on one project but, in 2009, worked with 116 projects.
“So, that shows you what is happening with regard to the southern part of Guyana, Region Nine, in particular and, by extension, Region Ten (Upper Demerara/Berbice) because we worked with over 50 odd projects in Region Ten,” Da Silva reported.
He said the statistics show that there is a direct link or connection between Regions Nine, Ten and Four (Demerara/Mahaica) and other parts of Guyana.