Annual Green Guyana Expo
Ignite your entrepreneurial spirit at Guyana’s first Green Economy International Small Business Expo and Summit. This is a business-to-business Expo, Summit and networking event. It will help small business owners, start-ups and budding entrepreneurs like you to take your business to the next level.
Why Attend the Green Guyana International Small Business Expo and Summit?
VISION
The vision of Green Guyana 2018 is “to be a catalyst for the development of small businesses in Guyana so that they can become the engine of growth and job creation for the transformation of Guyana’s brown economy along a low carbon and resource efficient environmentally responsible path towards a Green Economy”.
MISSION
The Mission of the Guyana Green 2018 is “To promote the growth and importance of small businesses in Guyana so that a stronger more resilient and diversified economy is sustained. Hence, activities are geared towards:
1. Attracting new business & industry to Guyana;
2. Assisting existing businesses with growth and expansion plans,;
3. Creating a business environment conducive to entrepreneurship and sustainability.
GUYANA
Guyana has been blessed with an overabundance of “Jewels”. Guyana is a “land of many waters” including the majestic Kaieteur Falls and is the second richest county in the world with fresh water. Guyana has breath-taking flora and fauna beyond belief. Guyana is a birdwatcher’s paradise with over 800 birds. It has the mighty Jaguar, the noble Eagle and the resplendent plumage of the Macaw. Guyana has 18 million hectares of pristine forests, part of the “Lungs of the Earth”.
The country has one of the highest forests covering in the world. Guyana is the “Kingdom of Nature and the Land of Enchantment” .Yet, our greatest wealth lies in our people and our diverse cultures: Amerindian, African, Chinese, Indian, Portuguese, Mixed and European. Within this Canopy of Wealth, Guyana’s greatest Jewels are its Youth and People.. Guyana is also a central part of the Guiana Shield along with Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela. The Shield is one of the richest regions of biodiversity in the world.
History is repeating itself as Guyana seeks to again become a Green State, even amidst its enormous mineral wealth of oil, gold (the famous Eldorado), diamonds, manganese, and other ores.
Guyana Will Become a Green State
In 2015, President Granger boldly proclaimed “We see a ‘Green Economy’ as one that sustains economic prosperity, environmental security and social well-being”.
Guyana has been pursuing a low carbon development path for some time now. Guyana began its Protected Areas Initiative in 1990. President Hoyte created the IWOKRAMA Rainforest project which set aside 371,000 hectares of pristine forests for research and development enabling the lasting ecological, economic and social benefits to the people of Guyana and the wider world Guyana’s green economy pathway builds on Guyana’s Iwokrama Rainforest Project and the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).
Guyana is committed to becoming the world’s first Green State and has established a Department of the Environment that will soon issue Guyana’s Green State Development Strategy “The Cooperative Republic of Guyana intends to become an upper middle-income developing country by 2025 through balanced low emissions (green) development amongst the production, consumption, conservation and preservation sectors”. – Ms. Ndibi Schwiers (Head, Department of the Environment)
Benefits of Attending
This Green Guyana International Small Business Expo and Summit will offer invaluable insights into Guyana’s Green State Development Strategy (GSDS) and the massive opportunities which will present themselves to small businesses, technology providers and investors.
The event will also highlight how citizens of Guyana can live green lives by incorporating energy efficient appliances and simple behavior changes. Attendees will be able to have exclusive networking opportunities with a wide range of businesses. Critical workshops, seminars and presentations from top industry experts will underpin the many opportunities to find strategic partners, importers and exporters.
Whether you are in a start-up phase or a well-established and successful small business, the Small Business Summit will provide you with a transformational experience to help you stay ahead of the competition. If you are seeking to drive your business forward and take the next steps to success, join us for this unique event.
Why A Focus On Small Businesses
Minister of Finance, the Honorable Winston Jordan, echoed this important role of small businesses during his 2018 Budget Speech “Small businesses represent a vital component of our economy and getting more out of them , at the time the government is rebuilding the governance structures of our public institutions, is critical to boosting productivity and achieving greater economic growth and sustainable development”.
Small businesses are the backbone of any economy. For example, there are 28 million small businesses in America. These businesses employ 55% of the workforce and account for 54% of transactions throughout the year. Since the 1970s, small businesses have been responsible for 66% of all net job creation within the economy. In addition to privately owned small businesses, franchised businesses have grown significantly in the past decades.
Today, the nearly 600,000 franchised small businesses such as restaurants, gas stations, coffee shops, and retail outlets across the country provide 8 million jobs, and account for nearly 40% of retail sales. Guyana is a country of small businesses. Even the largest indigenous companies are small.
Guyana has very few international companies and no multinational or global companies. To fully transform Guyana’s brown economy into a sustainable green economy, small businesses in Guyana need international and domestic partnerships to turn Guyana’s incredible patrimony from a state of comparative advantage to a stage of competitive advantage.
Although Guyana’s small businesses use most of the productive inputs, they contribute less than 10% of Guyana’s GDP.
Entrepreneurs drive small businesses. Guyana needs to become an entrepreneurial business environment driven by innovation because Guyana’s local market is too small to absorb its great production potential. In small markets such as Guyana, there are no real economies of scale locally and hence growth can only be obtained through exports. Guyana needs to nurture bigger and more competitive businesses as larger businesses provide an anchor of economic stability in a community. They provide large numbers of jobs that create the disposable income small businesses depend on. Moreover, big businesses depend on the goods and services small businesses provide their employees. Together, they create a symbiotic circle that both require for their viability.
Governments use industrial policy to promote the development of new industries and the creation and adoption of new technologies.Types of industrial policy include tax credits, input, output and R&D subsidies, minimum use requirements, standards, and trade restrictions.
One of the outputs of this event is for the Government of Guyana to announce a small business green economy framework that will be catalytic for small businesses and their growth along a green economy pathway.
For more information and/or Registration details, please visit: http://greenguyana.gov.gy
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