A delegation from the Republic of Congo met President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday with a special invitation for Guyana to participate in the country’s upcoming Racewood International Woodhouse Exposition. The exposition is set for September 29 in the city of Pointe Noir, according to Ngoya-Kessy Alain, who is the Director of Value Added Forest Resources in the Republic of Congo, who spoke to the Government Information Agency (GINA).
Pointe Noir is the second largest city in the Republic of Congo, following the capital of Brazzaville.
“You have here very good experience to build wood houses and wood project,” Ngoya-Kessy Alain said, as he explained the rationale for selecting Guyana specially to participate in the well-known exposition.
The invitation from the Republic of Congo is the second such cordial gesture to the Government of Guyana as it seeks to adopt a similar model to the protection and sustainability of its tropical rain forest.
In July, 2010, Minister of Sustainable Development, Forest Economy and Environment, Henri Djombo, paid his first visit to Guyana and embarked on a excursion to Kaieteur Falls and sections of Guyana’s forest resources, including the eco-system, mountainous wetlands and riverine areas.
With assistance from the Guyana Forestry Commission, Minister Djombo was also introduced to Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).
He subsequently returned in May this year with an invitation for President Bharrat Jagdeo to attend a special summit at the end of May for regions with tropical rainforests, which President Jagdeo acceded to, and was appointed roving ambassador to forest basins. It was there that leaders from countries in the Amazon, Congo and Borneo-Mekong basins signed a declaration for the protection of their forests.
The Congolese Minister said he was very impressed and encouraged by the forestry- related initiatives of the Government of Guyana, noting that the local chainsaw project is the kind of initiative that should be encouraged in his country, given its prospects in providing access to markets.
The use of the chainsaw in Congo to convert logs to lumber for the domestic market and poor segments of the population has never been explored, resulting in high prices for wood and wood products.