BUSINESS SUPPORT TAKES ON NEW MEANING FOR THE GMSA

Jan 08, 2012 News

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The Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association Ltd. is one of the leading Business Support Organizations in Guyana.  It is structured to serve as a critical link between the Manufacturing and Services Sectors and the relevant Governmental agencies, and to act as a catalyst in accelerating the economic development of Guyana.
The last 15 months have been hectic in almost every sector that falls under the GMSA’s mandate, including Agro-processing, Forestry and Wood Products, Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals, Construction and Engineering, Minerals and Services.
A wide range of projects funded by international organizations got underway in 2011, all of which are set to gain significant momentum this year.
At the top of the agenda is an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)-funded Energy Efficiency Survey that is expected to evolve into a national business model for cost saving.  It has an element for energy conservation.  The Pilot group of companies has already been identified and briefed.
As a result, on January 17, the preliminary Energy Efficiency Rating baseline survey will commence.
The project has been designed to first identify inefficiencies in each company’s power supply applications and consumption patterns and ultimately to recommend the best cost saving technologies and methodologies.
According to the Project Co-ordinator, GMSA Executive Board member, Clement Duncan, the findings from the Baseline Survey will be extrapolated into a blueprint for a Business Model that is expected to be adapted by other manufacturing companies and services providers.
Technical expertise is being provided by Dynamic Engineering Company Ltd. (DECL) and a number of regional energy consultants.  DECL has been involved in energy management and conservation in Guyana and overseas for approximately 22 years.
The GMSA spent much of the year just ended creating or strengthening its relations with the lead private sector representative organizations in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) which have been categorized as the emerging global economic behemoths, with the USA and long time partner, Canada.
With continuous funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), a host of micro and small business owners have benefited from Design Development and Export Market Promotion in Canada.
The Canadian Executive Services Organization (CESO) is expected to continue diagnostic studies this year in the Construction and Engineering and Services subsectors.  Already the consultants have provided study reports that have been adapted into work programmes for the Forestry/Wood Products and Minerals sub-sectors.  The Association is awaiting the 2012 schedule for continuation of the Export Market Development programme.
In anticipation of the trade opportunities likely to emanate from Brazil’s preparation to host two major international events – FIFA World Cup 2014 and Summer Olympics 2016, GMSA last year inked a five-year Economic Integration Project with SEBRAE, the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Development Support and Service Organization.
The primary objective is to strengthen export sales and enhance production capacity for a wide range of goods and services in Aquaculture, Agriculture and Agro-processing, Maritime Transportation and Transportation Logistics, Craft Production, Cultural Tourism and Education. This project is being executed in collaboration with the Linden, Rupununi and Georgetown Chambers of Commerce and the Private Sector Commission.
With regard to China, the role which GMSA played in mobilizing the Guyana delegation to the September 2011 Caribbean/China Economic and Trade Forum has evolved into a growing collaboration with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).
The process of twinning Guyanese entrepreneurs with Chinese counterparts which began with the Economic Forum, will continue into 2012.  Our entrepreneurs now have the added incentive of accessing funds from the billion dollar package provided by the Chinese government and which is being administered by the Caribbean Development Bank.
GMSA has also begun talks with India through the local High Commission for collaborative projects in the fields of Information Technology and Science, Construction and Engineering, among other proposals.
Closer home, the Association continues to work with all parties in the ongoing controversy over the wholesale export of logs which has created shortages of the more popular species of wood for in-country production of furniture and value added products.
The issue remained unresolved at the beginning of 2012 and no effort will be spared to bring it to a satisfactory conclusion in the shortest possible time, the Association’s President said. He also signaled that the BSO will throw its weight behind the Shipping Association’s advocacy for a Public/Private Sector partnership to fund the critical rehabilitation and modernization of the Demerara Port and navigational channel that has always been the hub of import and export trade.  “We must intensify the Industrial Development process by promoting in-country joint ventures and partnerships,” he added.
With so many initiatives underway to improve manufacturing processes and open avenues to international markets for locally produced goods and services, the GMSA is intent on encouraging private business owners to get more involved in training their own skills at the vocational and tertiary levels. “The human resource is as integral to production as the quality of the end product,” Williams stated, adding that his board will intensify their efforts this year to forge a closer relationship between the business and education sectors.  This is to ensure that there is maximum compatibility between the range and competency levels of the skill sets required by the various sectors.
These include mineral mining and the anticipated downstream industries that will evolve from oil and gas production in Guyana.
He made reference to a number of issues that require ‘policy intervention’ including business owners’ access to cheaper credit facilities and a substantial reduction in interest rates at commercial banks; and the much needed implementation of the Single Window Automated system by the GRA to substantially reduce trade transaction costs and time.
The President reiterated that the GMSA’s calendar of events has grown significantly saying that 2012 promises to herald new landmark activities that manufacturers and service providers will reap the benefits from.

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