GuyExpo 2010 opens
GUYANA’s premier exposition and Trade Fair, GuyExpo, that offers a unique opportunity for  local businesses to showcase their creative works , skills and talents, and creates linkages with  international companies,  opened last evening at the National Exhibition Centre, Sophia.
The event, under the theme ”Expanding Investment in a Sustainable Environment” and running for six days, features some 300 booths, among whom are Brazilians, Mexicans, Surinamese and Indians.
President Bharrat, in his feature address, announced that within 10 days the first tranche of the US$30M will be deposited in the Guyana Redd + Investment Fund ( GRIF), the first payment of its kind anywhere in  the world that represents the leading edge of the new global  low carbon economy, even though it is six months late.
And according to the President, the people of Guyana can feel genuinely proud that we are leading the way in addressing such profound global issues.
Guyana and Norway inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in November 2009, in which it was agreed that the latter would pay US$30 million this year and possibly up to US$250 million by 2015 as a reward for Guyana preserving its 16 million hectare rainforest
The first payment will enable Guyana to begin making preparation to remove our entire economy from fossil fuel dependence for energy and will form part of the government’s investment in the hydro-electricity plant at the Amaila’s Fall, on the Kuribrong River , Region Eight.
He added that the work to ensure that Amaila is built in a way that adheres to internationally recognized financial and social and environmental standards is now well underway, in parallel with detailed financial and engineering work that will lead to the project’s construction.
Once we are sure that the environmental and social impacts are taken care of, the Government will authorize the contractor of the access road to commence the construction.
This is a historic milestone in the development of our country and he projected that in the next 20 years the people of Guyana will have access to cheaper and reliable energy.
Also, ownership of the plant will be reverted to the citizens thereby allowing electricity prices to be reduced, all part of the long term thinking that will create success for Guyana, the President said.
Other benefits to be derived from the Amaila Falls projects is that all the country’s Amerindian villages presently not connected to the coastal electricity will be able to access affordable energy in their homes, in most cases for the first time.
Guyana, the President noted, stands uniquely qualified to participate in the economy of the future, being among one of the first countries in the world to see the changing of the global economy as climate change and other phenomena impact on the global community.
Guyana, he added, was also the first to realise that it was not just a threat but also a significant opportunity to leap-frog an old fashioned model of development.
He alluded to other achievements since the hosting of the last GuyExpo, and said there has been an increase in trade between Brazil and Guyana with the construction of the Takutu  Bridge which now links the two countries; continued improvements to the road system and work in partnership with the Private Sector  to expand the fibre optic and other  telecommunications networks across the country.
So we are constructing an economic and physical infrastructure that supports Guyanese enterprises as they seek to access new global opportunities.
But the President noted that it is in the interest of all Guyanese that an economy is created with a more expanded purpose, not only for business, but that we succeed as a country.
And, for this to happen, it means that the choices available to the people must be expanded, which means ensuring every child has access to quality, ensuring every family has a home.
Touching on the issue of who owns wealth in the country, President Jagdeo pointed that that the construction of  homes open numerous opportunities for everyone, including workers, developers, hardware dealers and others, thus supporting the process of economic transformation.
Remarking that even the digital revolution is being overtaken by even more profound economic transformation, President Jagdeo urged that attention be paid to the evolving new economy.
Earlier, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Manniram Prashad described the event as the ideal meeting place for Guyanese to showcase talent,  entrepreneurship, creativity, skills and  products and  services.
In addition to providing a platform for businesses and consumers to network and negotiate, it also entails investments, educational seminars and entertainment.
GuyExpo began in 1995 as a bi-annual event but became annual in 2004 and is the longest sustained exhibition in the Caribbean.
Following the official launch, President Jadgeo and Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Minister Prashad and others proceeded to the Ministry of Agriculture booth which houses several related agencies for the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon, before being taken on a conducted tour of the booths which adorn the spacious Sophia Exhibition Complex.