Leverage Guyana as magnet for trade and investment

Jun 22, 2025 News

---

– President Ali at commissioning of CARICOM’s first World Trade Centre

By Allyiah Allicock

Kaieteur News – On Friday, President Irfaan Ali commissioned CARICOM’s first World Trade Centre (WTC) in Guyana, an entity he hopes would leverage the country as a magnet for trade and investment.

Located on High Street, Kingston, Georgetown, the World Trade Centre Georgetown was made possible through negotiations between the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) and the World Trade Centre Association (WTCA), headquartered in New York.

Delivering the feature address on Friday, President Irfaan Ali noted that the ceremony is not just about the commissioning of a building, but another symbolic investment that tells the story of the country and the significant growth and development that is being created.

“It’s also very important that we have building like the World Trade Centre to signify Guyana’s positioning. We are trying to position our country in the globe in a way that is going to be transformative for us and transformative for this region. We are very confident about the outlook of our country, but we are even more confident about the role we can play, and we will play in the global economy,” he said.

The President said that with the type of investment opportunities that are coming Guyana’s way, the World Trade Centre and similar organisations with a network are critical for Guyana’s current phase of transformation.

“It’s no longer a phase of development, it’s a phase of transformation (and) it also requires transformative thinking. Our mindset must also be geared towards what is needed and what is required in this transformative environment,” he related.

According to the President, one of the issues for the country’s small and medium sized enterprises, is creating an enabling environment to help them with their competitiveness, to meet the standards that international market would accept, to help them to get cheap capital and to help them to get access to technology that will make their businesses viable. He noted the WTC can play a crucial part in helping to address issues like these.

“So today’s ceremony, as I said, is significant, because now we have an enabling institution in the World Trade Centre that would help us to leverage our capital here, that will help us to leverage new capital in the market, but more importantly, that would help us to network at a more rapid pace,” he pointed out.

The Head-of-State noted that the WTC’s presence in Guyana signals to sophisticated investors that the country is ready to play in any league of investment.

“We also believe that having a building is one thing, but having a building that has certain characteristics is another story. I mean, when the sophisticated investors speak to you, and here you have common service under the World Trade Centre, it sends a different signal. So, we’re signalling to the international community the sophisticated investors that we are ready to play in any league. We are ready to play in any league, and that’s very important,” he said.

The President continued, “We must be humble about our development, but we must be ready to show the world that we will embrace the highest standard and we will play in any league that is necessary for the continued growth and advancement of our country,” he told the gathering.

With that being said, the President noted that he looks forward to the World Trade Centre Georgetown helping to shape Guyana’s new economic culture into one that speaks the language of export readiness, trade facilitation and global competitiveness.

Further, he looks forward to the WTC supporting micro, small and medium enterprises, by giving them the tools to expand their vision and their markets.

“I look forward to the WTC leveraging Guyana as a magnet for trade and investment. I look forward to the WTC welcoming multinationals looking for modern, posh accommodations to reflect their brand and host their partners. I look forward to the WTC helping to grow local businesses into world-class businesses and world beaters,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the World Trade Centre Georgetown, Mr. Wesley Kirton, made it clear that the trade centre does not replace any organisation, including any Chamber of Commerce or any other business organisation.

“We are here to collaborate meaningfully with all stakeholders, including, as I said, chambers of commerce or the private sector organizations, government and all those who could find reason to interact with us, and who would appreciate that perhaps we can help to advance their cause in the name of Trade and Development,” he mentioned.

According to the Executive Director, the centre offers opportunities for Guyanese business owners to present themselves, their businesses, their services, and their products to more than 300 World Trade Centres around the world in more than 102 countries with over one million business associates.

The High Street DDL building, which was remodelled for the Trade Centre, is a representation of meaningful global trade, Kirton said.

Kirton disclosed that on October 21, 2025, global representatives from World Trade Centres will visit Guyana for the formal launch of WTCG and its work programme.

DDL’s Executive Chairman, Mr. Komal Samaroo, in his remarks, recalled that in early 2021, through Mr. Kirton, he met Mr. John Dixon from the World Trade Centre Association while he was visiting Guyana.

“He explained to me the role of the WTCA and the benefits state members and its global network of over 300 members around the world.”

“Having experienced the challenges in the early days of building the international markets for our brand, I immediately saw a value in the proposition, and on the 21st of November 2021 I wrote the board of directors of DDL with the proposal to pursue WTCA licence and upgrade the building to international standards,” Mr. Samaroo detailed.

He said that on March 25, 2022, the licence for the World Trade Centre Georgetown was formally presented to DDL in a virtual ceremony.

According to the Executive Chairman since acquiring the licence, WTC Georgetown has been quite active in work of the WTCA promoting Guyana and its trade and investment opportunities at major forum, including at the general assemblies, members and business forums in various cities, including Accra in Ghana, India, New York, Miami, Bogota, Cartagena, Santo Domingo, and just recently, France.

Mr. Samaroo disclosed that when the current WTCG building is fully operational, “we are going to be actively involved in bringing opportunities to businesses in Guyana, particularly in the small, medium and micro businesses.”

---

• commissioned, High Street, investment, President Irfaan Ali, TRADE, World Trade Centre

---