GMSA partnering with Tourism Ministry, wants forum with Caricom

gmsalogo_transGeorgetown: The Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) is partnering with the Tourism Ministry for GuyExpo 2013 in observance of its 50th anniversary this year.

The manufacturing association intends to create a veritable trade and investment forum with Caricom and international participation.

GuyExpo is scheduled to run from October 3 to 7 under the theme: “Advancing productivity through innovation, modernisation and expansion”.

The role the GMSA has undertaken is to encourage backward and forward business linkages for entrepreneurs in the productive and services sectors.  The expo will feature a number of business sessions focused on investment promotion, partnerships and outsourcing of offshore inputs.

The association intends to strongly influence three major outcomes, namely the establishment of business partnerships between and among Guyanese and overseas-based entrepreneurs; the emergence of new businesses from underutilised natural resources in Guyana, such as kaolin; and Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) primarily in four specific sectors: wood/timber processing, agro-processing (including apiculture), arts and craft (ceramics, wood, leather, etc) and services (emphasis on sports and ecotourism, fashion designing, environmental management, information communication technology, ICT, health and wellness, etc).

These benchmarks, the GMSA said will only be achieved with maximum buy-in by the local business community, including manufacturers across the business spectrum, commercial wholesalers and retailers, and service providers.

As such, the GMSA is inviting members of the business community to participate in a crucial discussion on June 13 at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) pavilion at 10.00h.

“The association plans to shape its involvement in GuyExpo around the main issues that concern local business such as the prospects for acquiring materials from Caribbean and other markets that would add value to and expand production efficiencies, ” the GMSA said.

Over the past five years, the main thrust of this Business Support Organisation (BSO) towards entrepreneurial development has been creating business partnerships between and among local, regional and international enterprises.