THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently engaged in efforts to revive the Guyana Coalition of Services Providers.

Established in 2010, this league of associations and government entities works collaboratively to improve the business climate for service providers and to foster growth in services trade and investment, the ministry said in a release. Such a body is central to supporting Guyana’s foreign trade policy in the area of services, providing a mechanism to engage with service providers; helping to address domestic legislative gaps that hinder service exports; building the capacity of service providers to access foreign markets and to compete in the domestic market; finding innovative ways to support service trade; and being a voice for greater local content of service providers in the emerging oil and gas sector.

The services sector is the leading contributor to Guyana’s GDP, accounting for approximately 48% of GDP in 2018. With the recent discovery of petroleum resources, the diversification of the country’s economic base remains crucial. The services sector also offers a number of untapped opportunities. While the growth trajectory for services is favorable, its potential could be hindered without an injection of relevant education, training, and supportive legislative frameworks.

Efforts to resuscitate the coalition have also resulted in the revision of the body’s constitution, the election of a new board of directors, as well as the addition of several associations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has begun to conduct sector-consultations, meetings with potential members, discussions with previous members of the board, efforts to submit outstanding requirements under the companies act to the Deeds and Commercial registry, and the establishment of an Interim Management Committee. While the body allows for the participation of private sector associations and government entities, individual service providers are allowed to join as provisional members until they are able to join an association. Based on a needs assessment, the recently elected board has developed a work plan for July 2019 to July 2020, which includes a World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade in Services Workshop scheduled for November 4-5, 2019. Associations or individual service providers interested in joining the Coalition can contact the Department of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at admingcsp@migov.gy.