Granger urges Barbadians to tap into investments in Guyana
President David Granger during a recent visit to Barbados, for the country’s 50th Independence anniversary celebrations, urged the Caribbean Island to tap into the various investment opportunities that Guyana has to offer.
President David Granger and Barbados Prime Minister Freundel Stuart admiring this organically grown bitter cassava as Farm Manager Persaram Ramdat looks on during a visit back in July
He was at the time recording a special edition of ‘The Public Interest’ programme in Barbados, where he had gone to partake in the country’s jubilee celebration. The Guyanese Head of State posited that the diplomatic relation between Guyana and Barbados was held steady over the last three centuries and remains strong even today.
However, President Granger outlined that a lot more can be done to boost the already “strong” relationship between the two countries. He stressed that the successful Santa Fe Mega Farm located in the North Rupununi, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), which is owned by a Barbadian investor, could be replicated in the various areas that are available for investment in Guyana.
According to the Head of State, he often refers to Guyana as the hinterland of the Caribbean since it has more landspace than the other countries in the Region.
“I don’t say this boastfully, I say this because I would like to invite the Caribbean and Barbados in particular, to see Guyana as an area of investment. Barbadians have a lot of capital, they have expertise and they experience in the hospitality industry. I would even say that most of the commodities Barbados needs to import could be produced in Guyana and I will be very happy if Barbadian entrepreneurs could see Guyana as an economic horizon,” he stated.
Moreover, while the Guyanese leader believes that economic cooperation is one of the keys that should be developed between the two countries, he floated a possibility of combining the two countries’ tourism products.
He went on to say that another area that can be developed between the two countries is education, with collaborations between the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus and the University of Guyana (UG) along with other eco-projects in Guyana for Barbadian students to do biology and other biodiversity studies in Guyana’s vast rainforest.
Furthermore, the Guyanese leader pointed out that Barbadians should see Guyana as an area where they can create employment not only for Guyanese but Barbadians Guyanese as well. He noted that such investments will reap mutual benefits for both countries not only within the Caribbean Community (Caricom) but in other fields such as economic, environment and employment.
On the other hand, the President disclosed that he has been approached by Barbadians with proposals of various projects such the generation of solar electricity and in some other areas, where there are Guyanese expertise.
“We certainly still have a sugar industry – they may want to come into produce ethanol and there may be other products… So people who have expertise in those fields searching out for niche markets can come to Guyana. We can produce any commodity – avocado, pears, pineapple, fruit juices, and so on,” the Head of State noted.
President Granger further posited that it is up to the two countries to combine the talents of their business classes to help propel their economies.
In July when Prime Minister Freunde Stuart visited Guyana for the 37th Caricom Meeting of the Heads of Government, he along with President Granger visited the Santa Fe farm. The thriving agricultural business venture is a major investment by Barbadian investor, Sir Kyffin Simpson.
During that visit to the Rupununi, the Barbadian leader asserted that Guyana is definitely open for business and investments. He noted that the success of the Santa Fe farm can serve as a model for other investors from other parts of the Caribbean and further afield to get on board.
