It is believed that a larger number of Guyanese citizens are settled outside of Guyana than those residing in the country. Guyanese can be found in some of the unlikeliest places all over the world. This mass exodus started in the early 1960s under the Forbes Burnham dictatorship, when the economy was facing total collapse. There were no proper jobs, social services were almost non-existent, and there was a sense of hopelessness all over the country. And, of course, that pattern continued under successive PNC and, to a lesser extent, PPP regimes.
Months after the APNU+AFC Coalition Government took office, it has recommenced a series of engagements which had been started under the PPP Administration — to woo the diaspora to return and contribute to the development of their homeland both with their newly-acquired skills and investment dollars. Unfortunately, only a few returned, and it is still not clear what kind of impact they have made on the local economy. In essence, we have not seen the kind of results we had hoped for.
There are many Guyanese in the diaspora who are willing and ready to return and invest or work, or even retire, in their homeland, but they do not know where or how to begin the process. For example, there is no central agency from which they can easily access the necessary information; they get the ‘royal run-around’ in the process of seeking this information.
Additionally, when Government ministers visit abroad, even though they encourage persons to return and invest here, the necessary follow-up measures are usually lacking; support systems for persons are very few. Nearly one year ago, during the heavily promoted ‘Guyana Investment Conference’ in the United States, the APNU+AFC Government made a number of promises to the diaspora with the aim of convincing them to investment in various projects.
Coinciding with the country’s jubilee independence anniversary, the Conference was intended to promote Guyana as an investment destination for diaspora and non-diaspora investors. Additionally, many investors with proposals in hand queued in long lines to meet with ministers and officials of the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) to discuss their projects and proposals.
Among the commitments made by Government ministers during the conference were to establish clear strategies, policies and incentives for investment; implement better communication channels and integration between relevant authorities; and foster a deeper connection with the diaspora.
However, so far, very little follow-up action was taken to ensure Government delivered on these promises. Based in information received by this newspaper, many of the investors have not been contacted by the authorities in Guyana to do any follow-ups.
In fact, Project Director of the investment conference, Salaudeen Nausrudeen, was quoted in this newspaper as saying: “The incentives, policies, strategies they promised did not happen; Government needs to stop talking and start doing”.
Certainly, the onus was upon the Government to follow-up with the investors who expressed interest in investing their hard-earned cash on various projects here.
The Administration continues to urge the diaspora and foreign businessmen to invest in Guyana, yet it fails continuously to create a business-friendly climate and to walk the talk by putting the necessary systems in place to ensure that the support systems are in place to encourage same. For example, we have noted that President David Granger, who recently visited the United Kingdom, met with businesspersons there and encouraged them to invest in Guyana, after regurgitating the same assurances given to the diaspora in the U.S.
There is much the diaspora can do to help in moving our country forward, once the necessary systems are put in place for them to do so. The PPP Administration had already started to lure the diaspora with house lots in the new Remigrant Housing Scheme. Also, other incentives such as duty-free concessions, etc. have been offered. This is a good start; and, hopefully with time, other forms of support would be provided to ensure that those who are willing to return can do so with little or no hassle.
More importantly, it is hoped that the Government would follow up with solid measures to show that it is serious about attracting more investors here and opening up the economy to create opportunities for citizens.
