Q : Tell me a little about Guyana and its future development .
Guyana ’ s development for the future is very up-beat , as you know Exxon has discovered oil in Guyana and we should be an oil producing nation by 2020 . What does that mean ? It means that Guyana , 83,000 square miles with just 0.7 million people will have a great job ahead of them in order to develop the country . The country is mostly agricultural and most of the people live on the coastal plain of Guyana , and in order to develop Guyana and move into the different regions of Guyana or develop new cities we have to develop an infrastructure , highways railroads , telecommunications , electrical gridlines , those are the future developments , as I see it , other than the regular manufacturing , importations and exporting of Guyana products . As Guyana is the only English speaking country in South America and therefore is the gateway to the rest of South America linking countries like Brazil , Argentina and Chili etc .
Developing our ports , linking countries like Brazil to the USA through the Port of Houston for example , is our next big challenge . We ’ re looking to modernize our ports , not just developing the port but to also develop all of the aspiring industries that come with developing a port .
Q : Historically Guyana ’ s agricultural based economy has been based on rice and sugar and Bauxite , but what are some of the other commodities of Guyana ?
Our largest export commodities in addition to rice and sugar have been bauxite , gold , diamonds , manganese , rum and timber but as I mentioned before , as of today , the main commodity in Guyana is its petrol discovery . Exxon predicts the production of
1.6 billion Barrels of oil . Guyana also exports some seafood as well as fruits and vegetables . In fact , agricultural production and processing is one of the very attractive sectors for investment in Guyana .
Q : What is the goal of the Guyanese American Chamber of Commerce ?
The GACC was established in response to the need , to be a better connected and informed in the evolving landscape . The GACC is committed to enhancing the competitiveness and the profitability of its members , the generation of new business and market access , sharing pertinent information in a timely manner , networking around its members , advocating for favorable policies and legislation , assisting members with the resolution of legitimate business concerns and problems , the transfer of knowledge , i . e . technology and building strategic partnerships to increase business opportunities . The chamber has already been demonstrating its usefulness as an advocate . I was honored to be part of the chamber ’ s team participating last June in Caribbean American legislative week which saw us engage in meaningful discussions with key members of the US Congress , senior Administration including White House officials and Caribbean diplomats in Washington , DC . On September 29 , the GACC will be cohost of a Florida conference that will look at US engagement with the Caribbean and its Diaspora beyond the Obama Administration .
Q : What makes Houston a good location for the GACC ?
Houston is one of the most culturally diverse cities in America . The people here are at peace in spite of having such different cultures , nationalities , religions and race , and also have the greatest economic growth in America . Houston also has the second largest port in the United States . Guyana is also very diverse culturally as well as peaceful and one of the fastest growing economies for developing countries , so we have a lot of good qualities in common to better able to assist each other in developing expanded trade , investment and other business links .
Q : The Guyanese American Chamber of Commerce Inc . ( GACC ) recently worked side-byside with the Outreach Aid to the Americas ( OAA ) Inc . ( an American organization whose focus is on the needs of the people of the Americas ) during the your Trade and Investment Mission , in the Republic of Guyana from May 10-22 , 2016 , what challenges and opportunities presented itself during that trade mission ?
I feel as if the challenges and opportunities are the same , which is the need to improve our manufacturing capabilities and better compete especially in foreign markets . This is where investors have a huge opportunity to improve our ability to better our manufacturing capabilities by importing new machinery , and introduce new systems of manufacturing so that we can be even more competitive . Also , as Guyana is an English speaking country you have a work force that can be easily trained and we have a fair and competitive labor market . The economy in South America especially in Guyana is about to explode so the growth of any company coming into Guyana is exponential . It is beneficial to move into the South American market via Guyana and also to export back to America because of our fair labor market . iF Magazine | www . iFMagazine . net 43