The Private Sector Commission (PSC) has applauded the organisers of an investment conference last month but expressed disappointment at the lack of a continuous presence by senior officials of the government and the parliamentary opposition.
In a statement yesterday, the PSC said that at its Council meeting on July 9 it reviewed the Guyana Investment Conference which was held on June 27 and 28 at the Liliendaal conference centre and wished to congratulate the Canadian High Commission and the other organizers of the Conference for the “high standard of the presentations and overall organization of the conference.”
It noted that the Conference brought together experts on the promotion of investment and underlined the steps that Guyana had to take to up both local and foreign direct investment in the country.
“Of particular importance was the highlighting of the institutions that need to be in place to counter any perceptions that a transparent investment climate may be lacking, since foreign investors are answerable to the laws of their own countries for any questionable dealings in the countries in which they invest”, the PSC said.
It noted that the Conference also made clear the number of key steps which Guyana had already taken for an enabling environment for investment flows, the most pivotal being the enactment of investment legislation in 2004.
“The Commission is, however, disappointed at the lack of a continuous presence of Senior Government officials and leaders of the Parliamentary Opposition, since these are the persons charged with the responsibility for ensuring a stable and attractive investment climate for Guyana”, the statement chided.
A number of presentations at the conference focused on the widespread perception of corruption in Guyana and this provoked the ire of senior government officials.
