International investors from Israel, Ghana and Cameroon are ready to travel to Guyana for the first ever Agri-Investment Forum and Expo, set to open at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) on May 19.
The three-day inaugural event will also see the participation of several global entities from the United States of America, Canada and the Caribbean, along with scores of local investors.
Moments after engaging members of the planning committee, Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, M.P, announced Monday that the preparatory works for the event are moving apace.
“I am very satisfied with the progress; we are moving very effectively. Almost all the booths are in place, to date we have close to about 300 organisations and investors who have already registered and most are from overseas,” he told reporters following his inspection of the venue.
“Now we are seeing a number of Guyanese being registered, so I am hoping by the end of registration, just a few days before the event, we have a lot of investors and persons who will be participating,” Minister Mustapha added.
He said about seven regional heads, along with a number of their government ministers have confirmed their presence at the hyped event.
The minister explained that the forum is the first of its kind in CARICOM, noting that the responses received to date, show how important the event is to the region.
The aim of the conference is to have a number of new entities investing in priority crops, and other commodities offered across CARICOM.
Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Paul Cheong said Guyana boasts enormous potential in the agriculture sector, and hosting such a forum is critical to further development.
“With the large amount of arable land, fresh water, and never-ending sunlight, which are critical ingredients for agriculture, we are confident that this here now will drive the agriculture sector,” he underscored.
The hosting of the investment forum stemmed from discussions at CARICOM’s 33rd Inter-Sessional Meeting of Heads of Government.
During the local launch of the event early last month, President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali said the aim of the region is to build a victorious food system.
He noted that the end result must see healthier food, more cost-effective prices for the population, and greater economic opportunities through job creation.
Dr. Ali had also announced that the conference will see key stakeholders travelling from as far as the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“In the UAE we have been able to secure in attendance at this forum, four of the largest buyers and distributors of food and agriculture products. They will be coming here to be part of the expo to look at the opportunities,” the President noted.
Themed “investing in vision 25 by 2025,” the conference will facilitate intense consultations between the public and private sectors on investment opportunities.
