Construction for most of the booths for GuyExpo was still underway on Monday but Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin said he was pleased with the progress, while noting that the work was on schedule.
“I’m very happy with what I’ve seen. Today is Monday and we have three days to go and so far it looks as if everything or everyone is on target. A lot of the places are almost complete and almost every place had people working enthusiastically to get their booths ready in time, so yes I am very happy with what I’ve seen,” Gaskin told reporters after a tour of the Sophia Exhibition Centre.
Gaskin explained that since GuyExpo was falling in the month of the anticipated golden jubilee celebrations, it should serve as an occasion to refocus and “take stock.” He said it should serve to ensure that Guyanese do over the next 50 years what should have been done over the last 50 years, such as planning and working together as one people to ensure that 50 years from now Guyana can achieve what everyone believes it can. “We know that we are a rich country, a wealthy country, with great natural resources and people. We have no shortage of skills but we need to put all of that together in order to make the country the economic powerhouse that it can be,” Gaskin said.
In relation to the business community, Gaskin explained that the responses have been excellent and in terms of sponsorship they have done well to achieve their target, which he dubbed as “ambitious.”
Stabroek News was told that the goal was $25M and so far they have received $19M from several sponsors, including Digicel, ANSA McAL, Banks DIH, E-Networks, Samsung, GAICO construction, Golden Brook, GTT, DDL and Continental.
Gaskin said while they were aiming for 300 exhibitors, they have already registered more than 250 companies and persons were still registering up to Monday. “People are still registering and we would like this to be the biggest GuyExpo and I think it would be appropriate given it is the jubilee year and we are expecting Guyanese to be returning home from the diaspora,” Gaskin added.
The exhibition will open tomorrow night with a surprise performance; Friday will be the family night, while Saturday and Sunday will be taken over by Banks DIH and ANSA McAL, respectively.
