GuyExpo - Guyana’s advertising billboard

GuyExpo – Guyana’s advertising billboard

Oct 04, 2014 Editorial

The Guyana Trade Exposition, commonly called GuyExpo is perhaps the largest exhibition in the country. It is an annual event and it often serves as a forum from local manufacturers and producers to exhibit their stuff. Many people have been able to secure markets in Guyana and a few have had approaches from external sources.
This exhibition is perhaps the successor to the Agricultural Exhibition that the Forbes Burnham administration took great pains to create. This exhibition began at the regional scale from which the best of the exhibits were identified and transported to the city for the giant exhibition and fair.
GuyExpo is being held along the same line except that the focus is on the manufactured product. Further, the exhibition is not limited to Guyanese. Each year external exhibitors open booths in the fair to showcase their products. And it goes without saying that they bring with them novel ideas of packaging.
The vast array of Chinese and Indian manufactured products made their first appearance through GuyExpo. This year is no different. In fact, there are even more exhibitors from diverse countries; exhibitors have come from the Caribbean, from North America and from other countries in Asia bringing with them goods that will catch the eyes of Guyanese who could make these same things but for certain limitations.
Electricity is not cheap and many of our young people have not been trained in manufacturing. And even if they were, most of the manufacturing enterprises are small family-run businesses because of the tradition that gave birth to these very businesses.
Given its agricultural bias one would have expected that the centerpiece of the local exhibits would have been things agricultural. And indeed, there are the many bottled products containing condiments but the vast majority of things local seem to be things mineral. There are indications that foreign investors are coming in with new industries that would allow for canning and other means of food preservation.
Of interest is the growing role of the Chinese in Guyana. It has not escaped notice that the Chinese are big into the housing drive. In most countries certain things are left to the locals but Guyana with its so-called growing economy, seems open to anyone and anything.
For sure the foreigners can fashion things cheaper than any Guyanese could, given the skills at their disposal and it is here that the government should have been able to insist that these foreign entities that are seeking to compete with locals would employ local skills.
For example, the Chinese are into the housing drive in Guyana. They are already the leaders in the construction sector having been awarded all the major contracts that Guyana has to offer. They are undertaking the expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and the Marriott Hotel. Had the political opposition not insisted that they be made aware of everything relating to the Amaila Falls project the Chinese would have been involved in the construction of the hydro dam and power station.
At none of these major construction sites can one see Guyanese workers. In fact, there was a protest at the Marriott Hotel site over the absence of Guyanese workers. And as if bound by some clause to exclude Guyanese, the Head of the Privatisation Unit actually said that the Guyanese work habit was the deterrent to them gaining employment on any Chinese project.
But, having said that, one must see GuyExpo as a major advertising base launched by the government on behalf of the local businesses. And since advertising is a billion-dollar industry one would expect that the government would earn from its involvement. There are the revenue earnings, the various taxes and the possibility of job creation that would increase the tax base and the cycle continues.
Yet for all this the government seeks to promote the idea that it is responsible for the foreign interest in Guyana. If the truth be told there has always been a foreign interest. The problem was that Guyanese were not in a position to capitalize on the foreign interest. The businesses were too family-oriented and there was the fear of inviting strangers. Thankfully, that is changing.

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GuyExpo – Guyana’s advertising billboard

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