…to connect businesses, foster investment
The Government of Ghana, on Monday, commissioned the first Ghanaian Chamber of Commerce in Guyana. The organisation will allow the two countries to connect businesses and foster investment, which will drive further economic growth locally.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill remarked that he is happy to see partnerships between the two countries. Minister Edghill, who is also responsible for the aviation sector, revealed that the two countries signed an Air Services Agreement, highlighting that it is now the private sector’s responsibility to operationalise same.
“We have signed an Air Service Agreement with Ghana, and it’s now up to the private sector, and I am glad that this chamber is being launched, it is now left up to the private sector both here in Guyana, and in Ghana to operationalise an airline in keeping with those terms of conditions and freedoms that exist in that Air Services Agreement. So, if there is anything that could bring our people together, faster, it’s air transport,” Minister Edghill said.
Meanwhile, Ghana’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Kobina Hammond, highlighted the need for trade between the two countries.
According to Hammond, “This is commerce, this is trade. We are talking about industrialisation, we are talking about [the] development of our respective countries but you cannot produce, you cannot industrialise, and keep all of the products that are produced in your country, there has to be some sort of trading relationships between countries. The goods have to be sent to other countries, that’s the essence of trading, that’s the essence of commerce, and it is important that you get an established base where the two countries, their entrepreneurs, the traders, the businessmen within the countries can concentrate some attention,” Hammond explained.
The Ghanaian Minister also expressed confidence that in due time, there will be seamless trading relations between the two countries.
Additionally, Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest), Peter Ramsaroop noted that the establishment of the chamber is a great addition to both countries.
“These are all great initiatives. It allows Guyana’s private sector, with Government’s support and regulations and other incentives, to build global sectors, and when you build global sectors you can increase competitiveness,” Dr Ramsaroop said.
Ramsaroop further added that the countries have great potential for collaboration in the agriculture sector given that they both share common goals.
“Apart from agriculture, there is tourism…but also, they are leading [in] manufacturing, although they can help us to support the oil and gas industry, we are very interested in what they have done in manufacturing, even manufacturing cars. Guyana, with our President’s initiative, transformation project, reducing energy cost by 50%, we are going to be ready for manufacturing very, very quickly. So, the more we can learn, the more we can partner with global leaders in manufacturing, and I believe this is one way Ghana and Guyana could come together very quickly,” Ramsaroop explained.
In 2019, Guyana and Ghana signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding for trading relations and information sharing between the two states.
