Business

On Thursday January 31, I found myself in a business meeting in the United States trying to explain the events of the Lusignan horror.

The first ever Caribbean Tourism Summit scheduled to take place in Washington from June 21 – 25 offers an outstanding opportunity for Guyana to refine its understanding of the challenges and potential of the tourist industry and to revalue its approach to the development of the sector according to a senior tourism sector official.

Overview: In modern times, the only times Governments are involved in private sector operations and revenue generation, other than taxes, are in the few remaining socialist, communist, or dictatorial countries.

The $275m in fines imposed on several loggers by the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) for breaches of its regulations are yet to be paid and according to an informed source in the forestry sector the loggers are likely to move to the courts to challenge the fines.

The Managing Director of Top Brandz, one of the larger distributors of imported beverages and household items has told Stabroek Business that the company has no interest in distributing “questionable brands” or products that cannot withstand the scrutiny of whatever health and quality standards testing they are exposed to prior to distribution in Guyana.

Notes 1 – Interim results 2 – Prospective EPS: earnings per share for 12 months period to the date the latest financials have been prepared.

With the English speaking Caribbean having received more than 6 million tourists in 2007, the marked upsurge in violent crime appears – at least up until now – to have done little to diminish the popularity of the region as a tourist haven.

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Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) Major General (retd) Joe Singh has expressed the view that the recent commissioning of the company’s new GSM cellular service at Mahdia significantly enhances the prospects for the broader economic development of the interior of Guyana.

Top Brandz Distributors, the sole importer of the popular energy drink Ragaman has moved to scotch rumours that the product suppresses virility in men which the company says originated with competitors who market other energy drinks locally.

Following many months of complaints by the utility companies that thieves were raiding their installations and making off with quantities of metal, wreaking millions of dollars of damage in the process, the government finally decided in 2006 that it would move to bring the problem to an end.

Faced with the imminent threat of closure of the scrap metal industry arising out of official charges that metal thieves are destroying millions of dollars worth of telecommunications, water and electricity infrastructure, the Guyana Scrap Metal Dealers Association (GSMDA) is claiming that its commitment to cooperating with the authorities to stamp out metal theft is being frustrated by the mixed signals being sent by the police in instituting charges against offenders..

After the training gaps are identified, they can be incorporated into an accelerated training programme along with the business improvement skills.

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The current probe into the finances of the Georgetown City Council could uncover irregularities that could have “more far-reaching implications,” according to a source close to the municipality.

Scrap metal dealers have told Stabroek Business that they are now “gravely concerned” over the likely future of the industry in the face of “clear indications” that official moves may be afoot to discontinue the trade.

In the February 1 issue of the Stabroek Business we reported that Scotia Bank had recorded a record profit of $1.4 bn, for 2007 representing a 33 per cent increase over 2006.

Scotia Bank has announced that its operations in Guyana last year realised a record profit before tax of $1.4 bn, representing a 33 per cent increase over 2006.

This is the dark time, my love, All round the land brown beetles crawl about The shining sun is hidden in the sky Red flowers bend their heads in awful sorrow This is the dark time, my love, It is the season of oppression, dark metal, and tears.

Construction work on the Robb and Camp streets building being erected to house some of the departments of Republic Bank is now expected to be completed by the end of March this year, accordingly to a senior official of the bank.