As Guyana’s global profile continues, increasingly, to reflect its credentials as one of the world’s emerging petro jurisdictions, the traditional sectors which, over time, have traditionally merged to help fashion the country’s overall socio-economic profile, continue to make their own cases for remaining relevant in a transforming economy.
Pursuits like farming, fishing, agro processing and the creative sectors which have constantly contributed, to varying degrees, to the economic profiles of those communities, continue not just to grow but to remain economically relevant in communities which – oil or no oil – refuse to surrender their traditional socio-economic pursuits. Indeed, they continue to grow their profiles and enhance their capacity as valuable economic pursuits even as the country’s oil earnings continue to offer them a broader swathe of economic options.
The Essequibo Annual Expo and Concert which will be staged on August 30th and 31st, this year, is one of those annual non-coastal ‘eye-catchers’ that continue to parade aspects of the region’s traditional socio-economic profile in the face of the transformations that are becoming evident in what is now the country’s ‘petro-charged’ economy. Customarily hosted by the Essequibo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ECCI), this year’s event is being ‘staged’ under the theme “Empowering Local Business Growth, Celebrating Innovation, Connectivity and Sustainability” at the Anna Regina Secondary School Ground.
When the Stabroek Business spoke with the Chamber’s Assistant Secretary/Treasurer Rawle Pearson – who has been designated Event Manager for this year’s Expo – earlier this week – he said that this year, the event will seek to provide an enhanced measure of exposure for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s). Pearson told the Stabroek Business that, as is customary, the event is being used as a platform to expose wider potential markets to the range of goods and services which the region has to offer in the hope of growing markets outside of the region. Contextually, the degree of success realized by the event will be measured against the backdrop of the responses secured by ‘markets’ outside of the region.
Beyond the realization of extended markets, the Chamber is hoping that the event will open up sustained market opportunities outside the region on account of what it hopes will be exposure to networking opportunities arising out of exchanges with representatives of businesses from various other regions. Meanwhile, Pearson told the Stabroek Business that this year’ event will seek to showcase businesses from the region that have already established their credentials as sustainable pursuits with genuine market appeal and sound environmental credentials.
