Guyana has great potential for economic prosperity – Anthony Sagba

By Reuben Stoby

Chairman Emeritus of ANSA McAL Group of Companies, Dr. Anthony Sagba, says Guyana must learn from the experiences of other nations as it strives to achieve economic prosperity.

Dr Sagba was at the time giving the feature address at the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (GCCI) Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony at the Pegasus Hotel on Monday night. According to the business icon, there is nothing that cannot be learnt from the Internet, which has now made information much easier to access. He also noted that Guyana need not learn from its own mistakes but from the mistakes of others. 

Dr Sagba also highlighted the experiences of Singapore and his native Trinidad and Tobago, where the governments there were able to create numerous job opportunities for their citizens by encouraging foreign investments. This, he said, was done by reducing taxes and offering duty-free concessions and other inducements for foreign investors, as well as introducing legislation that further encouraged foreign investments.

The GCCI and other private sector entities were thus encouraged to come up with proposals and ideas that could be put forward to government, as they (private sector) have a responsibility to assist with nation building.

The GCCI guest speaker also described Guyana as a land of endless natural resources and as having exciting growth potential, especially since government has started a journey of global interaction. President of the GCCI, Komal Ramnauth, noted that the duty of the chamber was not only to promote businesses but society as a whole. He noted that the GCCI is of the view that wealth must be accessible and available to all Guyanese; however, all Guyanese must work together to achieve this goal.

Meanwhile, among the recipients of awards were Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI), which received the GCCI’s Long Service Award; Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS), which collected the Public Service Award for Excellence; Courts Guyana Limited, which received the Corporate Citizens Award; Hits and Jams Entertainment Group, which won the Young Business Executive Award; Acme General Store, which was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award; Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), which was handed the GCCI’s President’s Award; Safeway Security and Mr. Clinton Urling, who shared the Chamber Award; and Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT& T), which had the distinction of receiving the Business of the Year Award.