LEADING Caribbean businessman, Anthony Sabga, made some pointed observations and suggestions at the awards ceremony of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) earlier this week.
He said Guyana must be viewed as an exciting country in this hemisphere and there is no doubt that the future success of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will depend on the development and greater utilisation of Guyana’s natural resources.
“But you, the leaders of diverse sectors, have to make the growth happen. It is your responsibility to successfully generate your country’s true growth potential”, he reiterated.
The veteran businessman also acknowledged that the government has created an enabling business environment but it is now for the business community to make things happen.
Mr. Sabga is perfectly right because in the current global dispensation, governments are mainly responsible for facilitating economic expansion and development while the private sector is the `engine of growth’.
He expressed great optimism about Guyana’s economic future and its role in CARICOM’s economic advancement and growth.
However, it is ironic that a non-Guyanese is so positive and optimistic about Guyana’s future and is full of praise for what is happening here while there’s a select group of Guyanese who never see anything positive happening here and instead spill venom on a daily basis in a desperate attempt to tarnish the image of this country.
It is unfortunate that some Guyanese speak ill of the country while people from other countries view it in a positive light.
A most pertinent exhortation was made by Mr. Sabga when he suggested that the development of a business partnership between Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago will be of mutual benefit and it could form the basis of the economic future for the Caribbean.
“The development of a business partnership between Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago will be of mutual benefit to both countries. Our two countries have much more in common and could be the future for CARICOM nations…You also have a sleeping giant in the number of talented and experienced citizens of Guyana who are living abroad. They provide a valuable source of foreign exchange through their remittances back home. Another aspect is to provide a safe and welcoming environment so that some of these citizens abroad are encouraged to return home and contribute physically to Guyana’s development with their acquired foreign expertise”, he said.
Indeed, with Guyana’s abundant natural resources and Trinidad’s financial technological resources, the two countries should work harder to intensify business ventures that will bring mutual benefits to them.
On the issue of the “sleeping giant” in the large number of skilled Guyanese in the diaspora who could be harnessed to help the economic development process, Mr. Sabga is correct and perhaps Guyana needs to become a bit more aggressive in the recruitment of skilled Guyanese residing abroad and provide attractive incentive packages to encourage them to return.
However, as Mr. Sabga correctly noted, a key factor, in getting Guyanese to return home and sustaining foreign investment, is security which has become a focal issue not only here but in the entire region and beyond and that is why increasing focus and resources are being placed on fighting crime.
But it is refreshing that a veteran businessman from the region can identify with the progress being made in the country and is deeply optimistic about its economic future.