COVERING information on 14 sectors and over 70 businesses and organisations in Guyana, the third edition of the ActionINVEST Caribbean Inc.’s “Who’s Who in Guyana Business” directory was launched on Tuesday evening, at the Bel Air residence of British High Commissioner, Jane Miller.

The 138-page magazine, which also has a website, is geared at giving Guyanese businesses visibility on the international scene as they seek to partner with international companies for maximum capitalization of Guyana’s fast-growing economy. The publication features many leading business and public sector organisations in Guyana.

“The third edition of the Who’s Who continues to place the focus on organisations primed for service to the Guyanese economy. In this edition, we have 25 per cent more companies than the second edition, in a format that our readers have become very familiar with and have grown to trust,” noted Vishnu Doerga, publisher of the magazine and Executive Chairman of ActionINVEST.

Noting that the magazine has become a pivotal tool for international businesses to find out about local businesses, Doerga said that the attention the directory has been getting is testament in the over 100,000 site visits that the magazine’s website has garnered over the past year from an array of countries.

“The top 10 visits were coming from Trinidad, US, Suriname, Barbados, Canada, China, the United Kingdom, Guyana, India and Brazil and this is where the highest level of interest is coming from,” Doerga noted.

Tuesday’s launch was attended by a number of leading persons connected to Guyana’s business scene as well as Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat and Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond.
Over the past year, Guyana has become a hotspot for investors from all across the globe given the burgeoning oil and gas industry that has placed Guyana among the fastest growing economies in the world.

Doerga thanked the British High Commission, the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest) and other supporters that came on board to support the publication and to assist in its distribution. Successive British High Commissioners, have supported the magazine since the inaugural edition was launched in 2018.

Delivering remarks at the launch ceremony, High Commissioner Miller described it as “an exciting time to be in Guyana” given the massive opportunities for economic growth and development for businesses, both local and foreign.

“I did have a sneak preview of the ‘Who’s Who’ and what an exciting country to be in. It feels like Guyana is open for business, and the UK is really keen to find ways in which we can bring in British businesses here to Guyana to partner and bring our expertise and bring our talents, to really be part of this economic growth story of Guyana,” Miller conveyed.

Over the past few days, Miller, along Britain’s Deputy Trade Commissioner (HMDTC) for Latin America and the Caribbean, Spencer Mahoney, have been conducting a round of bilateral trade talks with the government and businesses, as the UK seeks to create business opportunities here in Guyana.

Mahoney was also present at Tuesday’s launch and commended the warm welcome he has been getting as he conducts talks with representatives of the various organisations.

“I’m here to learn about your wonderful country, to learn about your business [and] to see if we can get more UK companies to come here to partner with you so that together we can prosper. It has been so wonderful and refreshing hearing of the openness to business and a commitment to helping us partner together,” Spencer noted.

Also making remarks was Minister Walrond, who commended the magazine for covering a diverse array of sectors in keeping with the government’s commitment to ensuring that the focus is not solely on the oil and gas sector.

She stressed the significance of the magazine in contributing to creating linkages between local and international businesses.

“We realise that, at this stage of our development, we require external partners to bring capabilities we are lacking. The importance of Who’s Who cannot be overstated. What this publication does is provide much needed visibility to our local businesses. It gives valuable information to international and even local partners about what is available right here in Guyana today,” she noted.

“From that visibility afforded to us by Who’s Who’s successful partnership will emerge and persist into the future, providing that foundation on which our private sector can grow and flourish. Given the chance, our local firms will step up to the plate and be up to the task,” the minister added.