With just a few days to spare until the Guyana Trade and Investment Exhibition (GUYTIE), the Business Ministry is hoping for it to be a signature event which they can improve in the years to come.
Business Minister Dominic Gaskin made these remarks at the Marriott Hotel on Wednesday, where he addressed a gathering of sponsors, who are supporting the exhibition.
While highlighting that the outcomes of this event are still unknown, he noted that the coordinators and other related bodies will work to eliminate the negatives and strengthen the positives.
“This is the inaugural event, and no one can prevent the outcomes. We have a stated set of objectives which we intend to meet in this event and as we proceed, we will see what went wrong and what went right and how we can improve it. It must get bigger and bigger and must become a signature event, not just in Guyana but the entire Caribbean. That’s how we’ll like it to evolve,” Gaskin said.
The exhibition is intended to be a pilot event to link local producers with international companies, which are interested in the services being offered. Gaskin is confident that the Ministry, with the help of its partners, will be able to hold the event on an annual basis.
“That’s what this event is all about. It’s a pilot even so to speak. We intend to hold GUYTIE on a regular basis and we tend to continuously improve the outcome of the event,” the Minister said.
He later acknowledged the role of the Private Sector, adding that the Ministry’s service to the sector is their sole responsibility.
“Without the Private Sector, there would be no Ministry of Business. We exist purely to serve the Private Sector and in doing so, we see outcomes that benefit the Guyanese economy and by extension, the Guyanese people and citizens.”
Some of the sponsors include ExxonMobil, Massy Industries, Digicel, GTT, Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) and Banks DIH. Inputs were also extended by the Canadian High Commission and the United States embassy in Guyana.
The exhibition will be held at the Marriott Hotel from September 19-22. On the last day of the expo, September 22, the event will be opened to the public.
Presently, 30 foreign companies are registered to visit Guyana to view local Guyanese products and establish partnerships with manufacturers by interacting with the local enterprises. The countries involved include Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Haiti, India, Korea, Barbados, Suriname, Canada and Cuba.
