Hundreds of persons attended a job fair in Nickerie, Suriname over the weekend which was organised by the Government of Guyana through the Diaspora Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A release from the ministry said that the event was in partnership with the Private Sector Commission, the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association, the Upper Corentyne Chamber of Commerce, the Region 5 Chamber of Commerce and the Berbice Chamber of Commerce and Association Development. A total of 120 delegates representing 30 businesses and agencies participated in the Nickerie event.
The businesses represented a wide cross-section of sectors and included companies in construction, hospitality, manufacturing, forestry, retail, insurance, farming, rice milling, and services. In response to requests from the Guyanese diaspora, the Diaspora Unit also included representatives from government agencies such as the National Insurance Scheme and the Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency.
Speaking to the large turnout at the RD Center in Nickerie, the release said that Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud stated that the series of job fairs that are being undertaken stem from the government’s policies that are being put in place which are inclusionary not exclusionary.
“What is happening here today is unprecedented,” Persaud said, given that the response to the job fair in Suriname was overwhelmingly larger than the first job fair held in New York earlier this year.
“Guyanese who would have returned to Guyana in recent years are astonished with what is going on in the country. Other than being the fastest growing economy, with a budding oil and gas sector, we are expanding the traditional sectors and building new sectors of the economy. This presents tremendous opportunities not only for the people living in Guyana but also for the diaspora. We want you to be part of that exciting journey and this great future that stands before us. That is why we are here today. Not only to tell you the story but also for you to interact with the private sector to learn of those opportunities,” the Foreign Secretary told the gathering.
Persaud told the diaspora that it was important for every Guyanese to put their hands and commitment to the task of transforming Guyana.
