Local businesses poised for opportunities partnerships with international investors

Nov 14, 2021 News

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– as third edition of ‘Who’s Who in Guyana’ Business Directory launched

Kaieteur News – The ‘Who’s Who in Guyana’ Business Directory is a publication that offers international companies a glimpse of the investment and partnership opportunities available with firms, businesses, and individuals, locally.
The third edition of the 138-page magazine which was unveiled on Tuesday at the official residence of the British High Commissioner in Bel Air Gardens, Georgetown, features over 70 businesses from 14 key sectors.
The publication has over 10,000 hard copies which will be distributed as well as an online platform www.whoswho.gy , where featured businesses showcase their products and services.
Among those in attendance at the ceremony to mark the launch were British High Commissioner, Jane Miller OBE, Dr. Robert Miller, Her Majesty’s Deputy Trade Commissioner for Latin America and the Caribbean (HMDTC), Mr. Spencer Mahoney, Minister of Tourism, Industry, and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond, other members of the government, members of the diplomatic corps, as well as heads of the organisations featured in the Who’s Who in Guyana Business Directory, ActionINVEST Caribbean Inc/Who’s Who in Guyana (ACI/WW) team, and other special guests.
In her remarks at the launch, Minister Walrond stressed on the significance of the magazine in contributing to creating linkages between local and international businesses.
She noted that through, “The visibility afforded to [Guyanese] via the Who’s Who publication, successful partnerships will emerge and persist into the future, providing that foundation on which our private sector can grow and flourish. Given the chance, our local firms will step up to the plate and be up to the task,”
The minister also commended the magazine for covering a diverse array of sectors in keeping with the government’s commitment to ensuring that the focus is not solely on the oil and gas sector.
“We realise that, at this stage of our development, we require external partners to bring capabilities we are lacking. The importance of Who’s Who cannot be overstated. What this publication does is provide much-needed visibility to our local businesses. It gives valuable information to international and even local partners about what is available right here in Guyana today,” she noted.
In his remarks, publisher of the magazine and Chairman of ActionINVEST Caribbean Inc., Dr. Vishnu Doerga, explained that the magazine has seen a 25 percent increase in the number of entities featured when compared to 2020. “In this edition, we are able to feature 25 percent more companies than the second edition, in a format our readers have become familiar with and have grown to trust,’ he said
Dr. Doerga said that the magazine has grown in its popularity among businesses and entrepreneurs from various parts of the world.
“Our website, www.whoswho.gy, again garnered over 100,000 visits in the past year with the top 10 most visits coming from Guyana, Trinidad, the United States, Suriname, Barbados, Canada, China, the United Kingdom, India, and Brazil in that order,” he said.
According to the publisher, all featured organisations have their own page on the website which they can manage fully with features to highlight team members, make announcements, and showcase products and services, and more.
Given the accelerated growth of the Guyanese economy, he said the website will also feature ongoing economic research and updates to which users can subscribe for notifications.
“We are now experiencing a deep sense of urgency beginning to take hold of our economy and our people. An urgency to be prepared to educate ourselves and raise the standards of our companies. An urgency to invest in the many direct, indirect and induced areas of opportunities created by the developing oil and gas industry. And perhaps an urgency to understand what the future of our dear country will be, given the uncertain nature of the energy markets, global health conditions and some key pending drivers of investment psychology like local content legislation or natural resource fund allocations,” Doerga said.
He continued that, “As the key players in our economy, like the government, the major operator and the business support organisations continue to map and march down a novel path, every single one of us will have the opportunity to direct our energies and investments in an evolving landscape.”
The Business Directory Publisher, therefore, encourages investors and potential investors to reach out to their fellow operators who through the publication are demonstrably saying that “they are open for business and ready to serve the growing demand.”
Meanwhile, British High Commissioner Miller asserted that the third edition of the magazine is being released during “an exciting time to be in Guyana.”
The British High Commissioner underscored that given the massive opportunities for economic growth, both local and foreign businesses are poised for great investment opportunities.
“I did have a sneak preview of the ‘Who’s Who’ and what an exciting country to be in. It feels like Guyana is open for business, and the UK is really keen to find ways in which we can bring in British businesses here to Guyana to partner and bring our expertise and bring our talents, to really be part of this economic growth story of Guyana,” Miller said.
Over the past week, Miller, along with Britain’s Deputy Trade Commissioner (HMDTC) for Latin America and the Caribbean, Spencer Mahoney, conducted a round of bilateral trade talks with the government and some businesses, as the UK seeks to create business opportunities here in Guyana.
As such, Mahoney commended those at the launch for the warm welcome he has been getting as he conducts talks with representatives of various organisations.
“I’m here to learn about your wonderful country, to learn about your business [and] to see if we can get more UK companies to come here to partner with you so that together we can prosper. It has been so wonderful and refreshing hearing of the openness to business and a commitment to helping us partner together,” Spencer noted.

 

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