—urges them to expand beyond Guyana while raising service standards at home

GUYANESE companies should be aggressively pursuing opportunities beyond the country’s borders, and positioning themselves to become the regional conglomerates of tomorrow, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance Dr. Ashni Singh said on Friday.

Delivering the feature address on behalf of President Irfaan Ali at the Private Sector Commission (PSC)’s 34th Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Guyana Marriott Hotel, Dr. Singh urged local businesses to take advantage of the country’s economic transformation and expand into new markets.

“There are a lot of Guyanese companies here that have the capacity to expand their footprint outside of Guyana; and you know that President Ali’s vision for Guyana is a Guyana where we are leading not only the region but the world. And a part of that journey of getting, in the shortest possible time, to a place where we are leading the world must surely involve looking beyond Guyana’s borders for opportunities to expand into new markets to sell our products,” Dr. Singh advised.

The minister reminded business leaders that Guyanese companies had successfully expanded into regional markets long before the country’s current period of prosperity, and under far more difficult circumstances.

“A hundred years ago, Guyanese insurance companies (some of our oldest insurance companies) established a presence in the Caribbean in an era when you didn’t have the Internet, and when you probably didn’t even have airplane travel, and you had to travel by a mail boat to go to a Caribbean island. Companies like Guyana Trinidad Mutual Life (GTM), Demerara Life, Guyanese insurance companies, they established a presence throughout the Caribbean in an era when you probably didn’t even have telephones,” he said.

According to Dr. Singh, the current period of strong economic growth presents an ideal opportunity for local companies to position themselves for expansion.

“There is a saying; we use it particularly in relation to economic policy, it has broader connotations and applications, that you must fix the roof while the sun is shining. I want you to reflect on that; I think it would be fair to say that as far as things economic are concerned, as far as the business environment is concerned, the sun is currently shining very brightly in Guyana and very brightly on your respective businesses,” he told the gathering.

The Finance Minister also challenged businesses to improve the quality of services offered to customers, noting that economic development must be accompanied by improvements in consumer experiences.

“There is still a lot of room for us to improve the quality of service that we deliver. And I want to say at the onset that we recognise that imperative in government. We recognise, as I have always said and that President Ali has always said, that the transformation of Guyana must not only be a transformation that we see physically, but it must be a transformation in our daily experience in interacting with institutions of State,” he said.

Dr. Singh pointed to the government’s aggressive digitisation agenda as part of efforts to improve service delivery across the country and said the same commitment should be embraced by the private sector.

Meanwhile, French Ambassador to Guyana Olivier Plançon congratulated Guyana on its 60th Independence Anniversary, and relayed a message from President Emmanuel Macron, reaffirming France’s commitment to Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in accordance with international law.

The ambassador noted that there has been growing interest among French companies in investing in Guyana. He also highlighted efforts to streamline the Schengen visa process, and commended moves to establish an air route linking Georgetown, Paramaribo, and Cayenne.

“I am very optimistic about the growth of our relations,” Ambassador Plançon said.

PSC Chairman Mr. Gerald Gouveia Jr. reflected on the organisation’s priorities since assuming leadership, including protecting democracy and stability, promoting Guyana internationally, and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

“Over the past years, we have worked and built those goals together,” Gouveia said.

He recalled the challenges surrounding the 2020 elections, describing it as a period of uncertainty that affected investor confidence and businesses.

“That is a period of history that we must never forget,” he said.

Gouveia noted that the PSC organised one of the largest groups of election observers in 2025 to help safeguard democracy, transparency, and public confidence.

Turning his attention to Guyana’s growing international profile, he said the country has now taken centre stage on global forums, and continues to attract increasing international attention and investment opportunities.