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Ramesh Dookhoo - Chairman Private Sector Commission GUYANA A HAVEN FOR INVESTMENT On behalf of the Private Sector of Guyana and particularly the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, it is with great pleasure that I encourage you to explore Guyana as a country open for investment with a multitude of opportunities for consideration. I applaud the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Publishers for taking the initiative to produce this publication which contains a wealth of information to assist investors in reviewing our country and guiding them in the process of establishing your presence having taken the decision to invest in our wonderful country. Guyana is labelled “The Land of Many Waters” and I wish to also identify it with the label of “The Land of Many Opportunities”. Our Government has been progressive in its support of new investments in our economy and has established the Guyana Office for Investment as a specialised agency to facilitate and support investors. Any investor will be welcomed by the local business community which comprises home grown, regional and international ones, which have been present in Guyana for many years and are operating very successfully. Agriculture continues to be our single largest sector primarily through rice and sugar cultivation. Other sectors such as manufacturing, mining, forestry, fisheries, Guyana Business 2010 | 6 construction and tourism has emerged and continue to experience new investment and interest with significant annual contributions to GDP. Agricultural diversification continues to see major developments in the areas of aquaculture, fresh fruit and produce for export, livestock production and processing among others. With the expansion of commerce, there has been a new and heightened focus on the services sector which continues to experience rapid growth with the use of technology being the principal driver. Excitement abounds as we progress in 2010 with full exploration offshore and onshore for oil and natural gas. In addition, the new thrust by Government in creating Guyana as a Low Carbon Development economy and protecting our pristine tropical rainforest is ripe with opportunity. Government continues to take a lead role in stimulating economic activity through major investments in infrastructure projects with the construction of roads, highways, bridges, sea defence works, new schools and hospitals. In addition, there are significant investments in the education sector to ensure that we produce the requisite skills and human resource capacity to support a growing economy. On behalf of the Private Sector and Government of Guyana, I invite any investor to visit our country and explore the opportunity to invest in this beautiful country with wonderful people, diverse cultures, and a great place to do business. Ramesh Dookhoo Chairman Private Sector Commission Guyana Business 2010 | 7
COUNTRY EMERGENCY NUMBERS Police: 911,564 Police: Emergency Response Unit: 225-6411 Fire: 912 Ambulance: 913 TIME ZONE GMT - 04:00 FACTS LOCATION Guyana is situated on the north east in South America and is the only English-speaking country.It is between 1o & 9o North Latitude and 57o & 61o West Longitude, bordering Venezuela to the West, Brazil to the South and Suriname to the East. CLIMATE Guyana is a tropical destination that is pleasant and warm for most of the year, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to June, November to January). Average temperatures 24 °C– 31 °C. Mean temperature of 27 ° C and the average temperature range from 24 ° C to 31 ° C. Rainfall is approximately 2,300mm a year in Georgetown. GEOGRAPHY Guyana is the third-smallest country in South America after Suriname and Uruguay, it has four distinct geographical areas: the Low Coastal Plain; the Hilly Sand and Clay Belt; the High Land Region and the Interior Savannah. The area in square kilometers is 214,970 (83,000 square miles). About 85% of the land area is still forested, and only 2.5% is cultivated. The coastline lies 1 to 1.5 meters below sea level at high tide necessitating elaborate systems of drainage canals. The most valuable mineral deposits are bauxite, gold, and diamonds. The main rivers are the Demerara, Berbice, Corentyne and Essequibo. GOVERNMENT Guyana became independent from Britain in 1966 and a “Cooperative Republic” in 1970, when a non executive President replaced the Governor-General. A new constitution in 1980 gave the President wide executive powers. The Cabinet is headed by the President, and there is a 65-member National Assembly elected by proportional representation. ECONOMY The agricultural sector accounts for half the national GDP, producing sugar and rice for export, with extensive timber operations and a range of other products, from coffee to fish, fruits, fresh vegetables and well–respected brands of rum. Gold, bauxite and diamonds are mined. HEALTH There is a risk of malaria in certain parts of the interior. Consult your doctor for the required precautions if you intend to travel there. Georgetown and coastal areas are Malaria-free. Georgetown has one public and several private hospitals. Municipal hospitals and health care centres exist within rural and outer lying communities with medivac services available in cases of emergency. INTERNET For most customers, internet service is available nationally from independent providers. Service is also available in most hotels and at many internet cafés which have been established across the country. Some hotels and restaurants provide WI-FI at no charge to patrons using their laptops. LANGUAGE The official language is English. Often spoken with a Caribbean Creole flavour. Guyana is also the only English speaking country in South America. MEDIA There are four daily papers: Stabroek News, Guyana Chronicle, Kaieteur News and the Guyana Times. The well respected Catholic Standard and The Mirror are published weekly. There are over 20 TV stations: most rebroadcast US and other imports. GTV and GBC have merged as one entity- National Communication Network (NCN) operating as Voice of Guyana, Radio Roraima and 98.1 FM, the main radio stations. PLACES TO WORSHIP The predominant religious groups are Christians, Hindus and Muslims. Each is well represented with its own churches, temples, mosques. They are also very dominant across the country in most villages where they are major landmarks featuring traditional architecture of the various groups. POPULATION Approximately 751,223 (Census 2002) of which 90% live along the coastal strip and banks of major rivers. Guyana Business 2010 | 8 Guyana Business 2010 | 9 Rewa Fair View Conservation International Concession
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Page 25 and 26: PRINCIPAL LEGISLATION The main legi
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Page 29 and 30: Guyana Head of State Bharrat Jagdeo
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