BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — The Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) in collaboration with the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export), Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA) and the Delegation of the European Union (EU) in Guyana hosted a virtual investment forum on March 23, 2021.
The virtual forum attracted 562 registrants with 352 delegates from across the Atlantic, many of them from EU member states. The forum targeted European investors with the aim of increasing their interest in opportunities for investing in Guyana, in particular in resort and hotel development, mining, oil and gas, agriculture, forestry, logistics and the infrastructure sector.
The event was declared open with remarks from ambassador of the European Union to Guyana, His Excellency, ambassador Dr Fernando Ponz Cantó, followed by a keynote speech by His Excellency, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, president of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana.
Ambassador Ponz Cantó in opening the session said, ‘’with Guyana currently gaining acknowledgement for being one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, it provides plenty of opportunities for business, investment and trade.’’
President Ali in his keynote remarks said, ‘’potential investors can look forward to improvements in ease-of-doing-business and respect for property rights and the rule of law and that Guyana offers a number of advantages for European firms”.
The day’s session included discussions and presentations from several prominent Guyanese, including chief executive officer of the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-INVEST) Dr Peter Ramsaroop; Governor of the Central Bank of Guyana, Dr Gobind Ganga; past president of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), Shyam Nokta among other heads of government agencies and representatives from the private sector.
Caribbean Export’s executive director, Deodat Maharaj, on behalf of the Agency, expressed commitment to continue working with the European Union, Go-Invest and with businesses in Guyana, to promote Guyana globally and stimulate greater regional trade.
“We are committed to helping with the packaging of investment projects both at the national and regional levels through our strong partnership with the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies”, Maharaj noted.
The virtual forum was a unique opportunity for Guyana to position its investment propositions to European investors. The useful discussions should greatly contribute to strengthen EU-Guyana business links, investment and trade.
