Businesses urged to capitalise on opportunities from trade missions to grow

The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) recently hosted its 134th Annual Awards Presentation and Gala Dinner, where Chamber President Kester Hutson outlined plans to capitalise on the many opportunities from the various trade missions both local and overseas.
This year, there was an impressive number of trade missions to Guyana and according to Hutson, this will only further accelerate in 2024.
Only last month, the GCCI hosted three missions from the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA). There were also missions this year from Brazil, Canada, St Lucia, and Mexico, among others as well as virtual engagements with trade missions from Mexico and Ghana.
“The GCCI was able to work along with missions to participate in panel discussions and organise critical business-to-business sessions. This year, however, saw us not only focusing on inbound missions but we had also several outbound missions as we seek to expand the reach and exposure of our membership,” the Chamber President noted.
According to Hutson, the Chamber of Commerce was represented on various platforms internationally. In 2023, the GCCI’s reach was extended as far as the US, UK, India, China, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. This is in addition to domestic engagements with international partners and their local offices here.
With almost 900 members, the GCCI is the largest Chamber of Commerce in the Region and according to Hutson, they will be building on the successes gained this year to ensure that the membership is further expanded in 2024 with special emphasis on the development of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
The GCCI President noted, “This will be accomplished with the addition of more mentorship programmes and our business incubator. We will further bolster these efforts by enhancing collaboration with our stakeholders, particularly our bilateral partners. We will achieve this by actively contributing to the development of a rich networking ecosystem both within and outside of Guyana.”
However, he pointed out that this year was not without challenges as the GCCI worked to meet the needs of members, facilitate visiting delegations and host events with stakeholders while simultaneously engaging its vast membership.
According to Hutson, the Chamber’s Council and Executive cannot work on its own. He used the opportunity to impress upon the membership that while the GCCI will always be there to advocate and advance strategies and policies on their behalf, the participation of the membership is critical to achieving the goals of the Chamber.
“We need more members to be actively involved. Join a committee, attend networking events, sign up to attend business and networking events, participate in trade missions, attend training sessions and attend webinars. Take part in discussions and economise on every opportunity offered as the GCCI continues to open up doors for members… We continue to be a work in progress but it can only happen by collaboration and your direct involvement. So, get onboard. Contribute and help us identify opportunities to further enhance our delivery on the important mandate of the GCCI,” he stressed.
Nevertheless, going into 2024, Hutson posited that the GCCI looks forward to strengthening its membership, capacity and resources to be able to expand and grow, improving its service and relationship within the membership. He went on to outline that the introduction of a member-to-member discount service, which allows more businesses within the Chamber’s ecosystem to partner, will advance this cause.
“So, I look forward for members to play a pivotal role in ensuring that they capitalise on this opportunity. One of our leading sentiments this year was collaboration, collaboration, collaboration. We look forward to partnering with our members in 2024 to better understand how we can continue to serve you in the most relevant and effective manner,” the GCCI President noted, adding that the Chamber will be committing significant resources towards achieving this to propel members forward. (G-8)