Guyana Trade Office to be set up in Dubai

…President Ali urges creation of Dubai Investment Hub in Guyana

Guyana’s participation in the Dubai World Expo 2020 continues to bear fruit, with the latest development being that an agreement has been reached for a Guyana Trade Office to be set up in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
This came about following a successful meeting on Wednesday between representatives of the Guyana Private Sector and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, led by its President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Hamad Buamim.

The Guyana Private Sector representatives were led by the Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond, and Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr.
In a statement, Buamim indicated that the Chamber is ready to facilitate a Guyana Trade Office in Dubai. He explained that that office would promote and expedite continuous investment and trade partnerships between the two countries.
During the meeting, the delegations discussed ways to connect businesses for trade and business opportunities between countries, and to increase the presence of Dubai’s Private Sector in the region.
In the statement, Buamim also emphasised his Chamber’s desire to continue building relationships with fast- growing economies such as Guyana’s through Private sector-led partnerships.
Prior to the meeting, the Private Sector delegation was told by President Irfaan Ali at a breakfast meeting to take advantage of the opportunities available and form themselves into consortiums.

Hub
Meanwhile, President Ali spoke of creating a new logistics hub for the UAE in Guyana, while on a tour of the Abu Dhabi Ports’ ultra-modern temperature-controlled vaccine storage warehouse facility, which is also the home of the Hope Consortium at Khalifa Industrial Zone (KIZAD) and the Khalifa Port.
According to him, Guyana wants to build a strong partnership with Abu Dhabi Ports, to create a new logistics hub for the UAE that will connect business opportunities in South America, Central America, the Caribbean, North America and West Africa.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Abu Dhabi Ports and the owner of Abu Dhabi’s maritime infrastructure and KIZAD, Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, said his company is very serious about investing in Guyana.
“Thank you for that trust. We are serious about Guyana, and I promise you we passed the time of thinking, now we are in the implementation stage. So what you will see today is the capability of Abu Dhabi Ports,” he said.
Meanwhile, President Ali said Guyana’s contingent, which features a large delegation from the local Private Sector, is on “a very serious mission” in the UAE with the drive to have meaningful discussions and to make impactful decisions.
“We want to be in strong partnerships with Abu Dhabi Ports, seriously connected to opportunities in Brazil in the oil and gas sector, and creating a new logistics hub for the UAE in Guyana,” President Ali said, adding that his Government is willing to facilitate the project by creating incentives and by ensuring that investments made are feasible for all parties involved.
“We are ready to work with you on having that deep water port ready for not only Guyana, but for the region and for the most important strategic positioning for the UAE in South America, the Caribbean, in Latin America. I think we could just think about it as an upscaled Panama [Canal] development,” he said.
After the discussions, the CEO took the Head of State and his delegation through a guided tour, explaining the operation of the specific departments of the company, as well as their work around the globe.
The President was joined by Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum of the UAE and representatives of the Guyana Private Sector, as well as Government Ministers, including Senior Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh; Minister Walrond and Minister Ramson Jr. (G3)