CubaPLUS Magazine

GuyExpo 2025, Guyana’s largest trade exhibition, commenced this Thursday at the Sophia Exhibition Centre in Georgetown. Under the theme “Transformation Through Entrepreneurship and Innovation,” the event features 297 exhibitors and 305 booths.

Speaking at the opening of the exhibition, now in its 30th anniversary edition, the country’s President, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, highlighted the significance of the event as a reflection of the nation’s economic growth. He then outlined six fundamental pillars upon which the government plans to transform Guyana.

These pillars include: digital revolution, industrialization, food security, energy security, climate and biodiversity services, and tourism. The President announced that the 2026 budget will incorporate various incentives across the agricultural, industrial, and manufacturing sectors to support these areas.

In this regard, he revealed that an unprecedented national digitalization infrastructure is already underway, which will ensure system transparency and accountability. To boost industrialization, the construction of industrial and manufacturing parks is planned nationwide.

"Initiatives in Berbice, Molesen Creek, Lethem, Enmore, Linden, and Region 2 are already in progress. Furthermore, for the 2026 budget, special initiatives for industrial and manufacturing development utilizing local inputs across all these areas, along with special tax incentives and a specialized regime, will be unveiled," he stated.

Another aspect envisioned in this program is to position Guyana as a leader in food production, while several facets for nine tourism areas have already been announced, he noted.

“We envision large-scale, international-level tourism projects, deeply integrated into the global ecotourism market, because we are investing to position Guyana as a leader in ecological and nature-based products,” he emphasized.

For her part, speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister of Tourism, Industry, and Commerce, Susan Rodrigues, highlighted the significant growth experienced by Guyana's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) over the past five years, attributed to government support.

She noted that through the Small Business Bureau (SBB), over 13,000 of these entities have received essential training since 2020, and nearly 4,000 businesses have benefited from grants. This has generated an investment of one billion dollars, enabling them to become competitive enterprises in both local and global markets.