The second annual Destination Guyana Now Business Conference got underway yesterday at the Marriott Hotel in Georgetown. The conference, which ends on October 21, seeks to provide a platform for education, investment prospects, business collaboration, and networking for local business people and those in the diaspora.
The genesis of the conference was the challenges its founder Stacey Mollison faced in her efforts to get involved in business in Guyana.
“It really is an act of love. I started it following the challenges I had as a business owner in the diaspora who wanted to do business in Guyana,” she said. “I was encountering all this stuff, but I made a decision that I was going to figure it out, and when I figured it out I would bring smaller groups of business owners together in a very strategic manner to help them navigate this process.
We want to engage with the agencies that you have to connect with to do business. We need to link with people who are serious about doing business here.”
She added, “For our philanthropy project this year we are giving 100 food hampers to the Tiger Bay community. Also, they said they have not been getting a lot of support for children under 12 so we will also be doing a paediatric health clinic for the community.”
Chairman of the Private Sector Commission Komal Singh who spoke at the opening, encouraged people from the diaspora to invest in Guyana.
“The private sector will continue to work closely with the government and businesses in our diaspora, especially to see how we can bring more resources to our market. This is a time for you to come back to Guyana,” singh remarked. “This is the time for you to review what is happening in Guyana. This is the time for you to invest in Guyana. It’s never a better moment. Between the next one to ten years, Guyana will receive massive transformation. Guyana will need all the expertise and the skill set from everyone. Look into Guyana. Get yourself involved. You’re a critical part of the development of Guyana, and from the private sector standpoint, we encourage you to participate. We encourage you to reach out to the private sector if you need any clarification or guidance on how to invest into Guyana.”
Also in attendance was Head of the Diaspora Unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Rosalinda Rasul. She stated that with the now reverse migration occurring in Guyana due to the change in economy, “we welcome what Stacey is doing here”.
However, she stated that with Guyana still on the cusp of development expectations must be managed.
“We’re still in a building mode, and this does not only mean roads and bridges, this means services also, so when you come to Guyana to make that investment or to engage us, it’s not going to be a perfect system,” she said. “But there are people who are interested, so at some time we will get to the level of service we want. If you do bump into the process of implementing or delays we ask for your patience. Work with the system, understand how it works here and I promise you will be successful.”
This year the conference also includes a trip to Linden for the participants with tickets starting at US$161.90.
