By Gabriella Chapman

A TEAM of Trinidadians is in Guyana attending a three-day Business-to-Business (B2B) engagement being hosted by the Trinidad & Tobago Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA) to foster collaboration that will develop industries, both in the twin-island republic and Guyana.

The first session was held at the Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel on Tuesday, when the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ActionCOACH Guyana, Vishnu Doerga, brought them up to speed with statistics about Guyana, which he said will aid in their engagements during their stay.

At the session, CEO of TTMA, Dr. Ramesh Ramdeen shared that 27 persons from 16 different companies in Trinidad, ranging from food and beverage, pharmaceutical, construction, trading, etc, are here to explore uniqueness and challenges, with the hope of networking with like companies between the two countries.

“There are a lot of people here looking to be buyers, sellers, looking to be partners in investment opportunities. There are many things that can be derived from this engagement,” he said.

Trinidad and Tobago has a long history in oil and gas, while Guyana has not so recently discovered same. This, Dr Ramdeen said, can be used to Guyana’s advantage.
“A lot of lessons can be learnt from the mistakes that we made in Trinidad and Tobago. Guyana can take heed and learn those lessons as well. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket; use the capacities of these investors to invest in other sectors to diversify the economy from the start,” he encouraged.

He added: “My manufacturers who are here, we are here to look to see how best we can reap any rewards we have for you. It is going to be three hard days of work, meeting and engaging with the right people.”

Dr Ramdeen told the group of Trinidadians that they should ensure that they go back home and do their homework, so as to ensure that they reap the rewards they can possibly get from the engagements that will occur.
Research/Illicit Trade Officer, Trade Unit of TTMA, Ismahieel Ali, told this newspaper that the agency decided to collaborate with their consultant in Guyana, ActionCOACH.
He said this idea was sparked since “Over the last 18 months, we have seen Guyana go through many cycles in development, and our businessmen in TT have seen the opportunity to create synergies and foster trades. We have been in business with Guyana over the past 20 years on a consistent basis, but we have seen over the past 18 months or so, that it can be gone at a higher level.”

GREAT OPPORTUNITY
And as such, the TTMA saw it as a great opportunity to come to Guyana at this point in time, with several distributors, contractors and persons in service industries as well.
Ali said their target is the construction industry, as well as the food and beverage industry.
“We see it as two pivotal sectors in Guyana that our businessmen can target. As you know, with the finding of the oil, infrastructure in Guyana is going to go to another level. As such, our construction companies back home have been liaising with contractors in Guyana… And we are looking to invest in Guyana, but we are also seeking opportunities for Guyanese raw materials to come into TT for business.”

He further noted that the TTMA holds annually, a trade and investment convention (TIC) in July, with 200 booths featuring countries from the various CARICOM states. They are hoping to have more Guyanese companies participate in the convention.
Some of the Trinidadian businesses being represented are Vemco — Victor E Mouttet Limited, HADCO Limited, Kamri Glass, and Cargo Consolidators Agency Limited, among 10 others.

ActionCOACH aided in organising 10-12 meetings that will occur over the next two days to help execute the group’s mission.

Some of the companies will also be participating in Guyana’s Green Expo being held at the National Stadium, looking to see how they can benefit from it.

The Trinidad & Tobago Manufacturers’ Association was founded in 1956 by eight visionaries in the hope of keeping the wheels of industry turning. This group of entrepreneurs recognised the need for a unifying organisation. The TTMA was therefore developed for the specific purpose of promoting local industry.