… Prashad tells investorsMinister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Manniram Prashad, yesterday told overseas missions in Guyana for the trade and investment show “GuyExpo” that the government was willing to embrace and partner with them.“If you got the money,Cheap NFL Jerseys, come and invest in Guyana,” he told some of the overseas participants at GuyExpo. He was speaking at a special “investment seminar” held at the Guyana International Conference Centre.Among the benefits from investing in Guyana, he said, is the fact that the government has thousands of acres of land available at the same cheap rate which created a buzz two years ago when Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados,Cheap Authentic Jerseys, Mia Motley, told Bajans to invest in Guyana because land was available on lease at just US$5 per acre.Prashad told the overseas delegates that that offer is still on the table.“Guyana is open for business,” he declared,Houston Cougars Jerseys, and said the Guyana Office for Investment is a one-stop shop where those interested in investing here could be facilitated.He pointed out that for the Caribbean, the opening of the Takutu Bridge, which enables easy travel from Guyana to Brazil, means the opening of the South American market.As a result, he said “a golden opportunity” is now available for investment in Guyana, especially for Guyanese who are looking for a reason to return to this country. One of the areas he said for investment opportunities is tourism. He invited them to come and build needed eco-lodges in Guyana’s interior, which is attracting increasing attention for the magnitude of forests that remain intact.He said the government’s Low Carbon Development Strategy has been drawing global attention over the fact that 80 per cent of the country’s forests remain intact and these hold global importance in efforts to mitigate climate change.Prashad said that President Bharrat Jagdeo’s advocacy of the Low Carbon Development Strategy has meant increased attention for Guyana and as a result the need to develop the tourism infrastructure.“If Guyanese don’t want to do it (invest) you come and do it,” he told the overseas delegations. Prashad has said overseas participants have come from Brazil, Venezuela,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, Suriname, U.S.A, Canada, Peru, South Africa,Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys, India,Wholesale China Jerseys, St. Lucia, and Barbados.Attracting new investments is never an easy task, Prashad said at the opening of Guyexpo on Thursday. He said despite the international financial crisis, the investment climate in Guyana has remained firmly attractive.“Being a resource based country we have reason to be highly optimistic, in expanding and bringing new investments here,” he said. According to Prashad, Guyana’s macro economics and financial framework remain stable.He said that under the National Competitiveness Strategy, the government has been working assiduously in a new partnership with the private sector to push the horizon of investment opportunities and this has been paying significant dividends.Among the examples of this private-public partnership he cited were the Berbice River Bridge which links the county of Demerara and Berbice, and the Ogle International Airport, which will shortly be landing regional carriers.At the local level, he said help is being provided to help small and medium sized firms expand. Among the provisions he listed were the Small Business Act creating a Small Business Council, a Small Business Bureau and a Business Development Fund.He said the Council has been established and is being chaired by Private Sector representative, Mr. Keith Evelyn of Hand-in-Hand. The Bureau is now being established and the Fund will soon be operational, he said.According to Prashad, the overriding purpose of the Act is to grow small and medium size businesses as rapidly as possible.Allied to this, the Ministry has put in place the Matching Grants Initiative (MGI), the Council for which is headed by Mr. Yog Mahadeo of Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company.This initiative provides grant assistance to firms wishing to start up export or desirous of expanding their exports. Meanwhile, Prashad announced that Guyana has just become a member of Trade Point International, which will bring into operation Trade Point Georgetown. This will link buyers and sellers on the internet in a virtual market place.Guyana is also exploring having the Caribbean Development Fund (CDF) link Guyana into a trade network it is developing for the CARICOM region as a whole.