Govt has done the heavy lifting; take advantage of opportunities – Min Rodrigues tells Private Sector

The Guyana Government has already done the heavy lifting to create opportunities for investment; it is now up to Guyanese businesses and individuals to take full advantage of these possibilities while also starting to prepare for the next wave of transformation.
This is according to Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Susan Rodrigues while delivering the feature address at the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) 136th Annual Awards Presentation and Gala Dinner held Thursday evening at the Marriott Hotel in Georgetown.
“The groundwork has been laid, and the enabling environment is in place. Your Government has done the heavy lifting. What is required now is the determination to take advantage of the possibilities.”
“Our business landscape has changed dramatically in the last five years. Imagine what the next five years will bring as we prepare for one million annual visitors and three million airport passengers. These are not theoretical projections. They represent tangible opportunities that will drive growth in all sectors,” she stated.
The Minister went on to outline gaps in certain areas like furniture manufacturing, noting that opportunities and incentives exist – but what is needed is vision and action.
According to Rodrigues, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration remains open, accommodating, and fully supportive of the local private sector and all private sector organisations.
“Our stewardship as a Government has been characterised by strong support for the private sector, including micro and small enterprises, and we have backed this support with policy approaches designed to incentivise investment and encourage business expansion and diversification,” she told the audience.
The Minister highlighted the strong collaboration between the Ministry and the GCCI, citing the amendment of the Chamber’s Green Economy Committee to include tourism, as well as its active involvement in this year’s edition of GuyExpo, which was held just last month.

While outlining the significant economic progress Guyana has made over the past five years under President Irfaan Ali, Minister Rodrigues reaffirmed the Administration’s commitment to removing barriers and creating an enabling environment for business growth. She pointed to several emerging investment opportunities, including the recently issued Expressions of Interest for eco-lodges and tourism-related ventures.
She also emphasised the growing potential of the orange economy as a new growth pole and encouraged the GCCI to identify avenues within the creative industry that would benefit its members.

National Standardisation Strategy for 2026–2028
Minister Rodrigues further highlighted the continued support provided by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) to help businesses strengthen their systems and meet international requirements.
Additionally, she announced the implementation of the National Standardisation Strategy for 2026–2028, set to begin in January 2026. The strategy, she explained, will provide the necessary framework to address institutional and legal gaps, ensuring national standards facilitate trade, promote environmental responsibility, and support technological advancement.
The Minister stressed the Government’s focus on improving quality across all sectors, as she called on the private sector to follow suit.
“The last five years, we didn’t have a choice; we had to focus on quantity, but in the next five years, we want to focus on quality. And while the Government has been raising the bar and raising standards all over the place, we encourage the private sector to take advantage of all the training…to help you to introduce quality and standards into your business,” she expressed.
As such, the Minister said the GNBS remains open to collaborate with all private sector bodies as “we build a national culture of standards”.

Guyanese participation in key sectors
Meanwhile, President of the GCCI, Kathy Smith, also echoed similar sentiments as Minister Rodrigues, also underscoring the need for local businesses to be not just resilient and innovative but also proactive in order to capitalise on new opportunities that present themselves.
To this end, she highlighted the role that the Chamber has been playing in advocating for Guyanese participation in key sectors like the oil and gas sector.
“The economy is developing at an unprecedented rate, and as it propels forward, the GCCI is working diligently to ensure that our members keep abreast,” the Chamber president stated while urging local businesses to step up and claim their space rather than waiting for opportunities to be handed to them.
Smith went into detail on initiatives taken by the Chamber to open up opportunities for its membership. “We have also sought new partnership and markets for members through inbound and outbound missions. We had members travel to China, to the U.S., to Cuba, to Trinidad, El Salvador, St Lucia for trading initiative and to seek business opportunity,” she added.
The GCCI President also emphasised efforts by the Chamber to build capacity and provide one-on-one consultations on financing and market compliance. As the GCCI’s first woman president, Smith noted that a key focus of her 2025 agenda has been to support the development of women-owned and women-led micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), providing access to training, mentorship, and support systems like childcare facilities to enable their success.
Thursday’s award ceremony saw the celebration of top business performers in the city, as the GCCI recognised entrepreneurs and companies for their remarkable achievements in 2025.