GMSA facilitates support for local services sector

The Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) convened a workshop at Cara Lodge, in Georgetown, to discuss enhancing marketing, promotion and networking approaches for the services sector.

A section of the gathering at the GMSA workshop
A section of the gathering at the GMSA workshop

The workshop; one of several activities under a support project financed by the European Development Fund (EDF) through the Caribbean Export Development Agency brought together representatives from a cross-section of the services sector including banking and finance, energy, technical services among others as well as several manufacturers. Also present were representatives from the Foreign Affairs Ministry which had facilitated the GMSA securing access to the project financing.
In his remarks, 2nd Vice President of the GMSA and Chairman of the Services Sector, Shyam Nokta, stated that the services sector is one of Guyana’s largest economic sectors, contributing over 40 per cent of gross domestic product. However, much of this is confined to the domestic economy, as services exports are quite negligible. This is not confined to Guyana alone, but appears to be a trend in the wider Caribbean region. He further stated that the project is intended to support the service sector members in areas such as marketing, promotion and networking and includes a capacity building component so that the GMSA can continue to facilitate support to its services members.
Nokta indicated that too often the GMSA is seen as a representative only of manufacturing entities. However, over 10 years ago, in 2006, the then Guyana Manufacturers Association took a decision to broaden its focus to include the services sub-sector. At that time, emphasis was placed mainly on services directly and indirectly related to the manufacturing and industrial sector. Over the years, the organisation has expanded the range of service members to include services in areas such as finance, energy management, shipping, communication and IT, among others.
He pointed out that currently within the GMSA, there is a services sub-sector group and as part of the organisation’s 2017-2020 Strategic Plan, greater emphasis is being placed on this sector to bring members together, to identify areas where support is needed, to build capacity, to network and work with Government and other stakeholders to enhance the sector’s development.
Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Affairs Ministry and Ambassador Designate to the Mission in Geneva, Switzerland, Neville Totaram, underlined the importance of the services sector both in Guyana and the Caribbean and provided a background to the CARIFORUM-EU Implementation Programme for the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) through which the project is being supported. He pointed out the focus of the programme on the services sector and enhancing competitiveness of CARIFORUM service providers while outlining some of the proposed activities of the 11th EDF geared towards enhancing legal, regulatory and enabling environment.
Facilitating the workshop was Consultant Joycelyn Williams who pointed out that Guyana, like other Caribbean countries, needs to diversify its export earnings.