HOUSING Minister Irfaan Ali has promised to limit overseas participation in this year’s Building Expo in order to give preference to local producers and suppliers. Speaking on the sidelines of a press conference organized in observance of World Consumer Rights’ Day, last Friday at the Guyana International Conference Center at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara, Minister Ali disclosed that the expo is set to be staged from July 5 to July 7 at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence, East Bank Demerara; and the number of exhibitors is set to increase by only three percent, because of space constraints at the stadium.

“We have an influx of interest out of Trinidad and Suriname, but if we (do) not exercise some degree of judgement, then the interest we are having can take over the entire expo, which will be counter-productive to our local industry.”

Minister Ali said the original plan was to have this expo once every two years (biennially), but the response the ministry has been getting has propelled the decision to hold the expo annually.

“People in the business expo wrote to us asking to have it this year. The expo creates and stimulates interest in the building and construction sector,” he said.

He added that corporate sponsorships are already available for the event, which sees members of the private sector spending in excess of $200M on putting together their showcase.

“This building expo is driven a lot by the private sector. We have had a lot of interest from the international companies. We have a company out of the UK that has just signed on with us to build 15 pilot homes using new, modern materials. We have companies out of Barbados. A lot of companies in the field of alternative energy are showing great interest in the expo.

“We have also seen a fairly high degree of interest in alternative building materials, which is important to us as we seek to expand the building sector,” Ali informed. He said a lot of focus is going into educating the population on such alternatives. A business seminar especially focused towards consumers is also planned.

With this year’s event, the minister said, the ministry will be looking at consolidating the various partnerships that it has established, with a view to securing and ensuring sustainable development.

He also said the building and construction sector is playing a key role in expanding Guyana’s economy; and is contributing significantly to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), having created many employment opportunities and allowed for skilled personnel to be actively utilised within the country’s economy.

The inaugural building and construction expo was held in August 2010. It is an event that brings together home owners, prospective home owners and entities from the construction, manufacturing and services sectors.

According to GINA, the event attracts exhibitors from the region and farther afield, such as the United States, Canada, Russia and China.