The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) is strongly urging the government to refrain from inking a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Trinidad and Tobago, until the twin-island nation opts to remove its Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs), which are hampering exportation and expansion for Guyanese businesses.
Prime Minister of Trinidad, Dr. Keith Rowley arrived in Guyana on Tuesday for the highly anticipated Regional Agri Investment Forum and met with President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali at State House, where they engaged in a discussion focused on agriculture, energy, and natural security. Rowley later announced via his Facebook Page that an MoU is being established between the two countries to target the highlighted areas.
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The Chamber has since issued a press release, rekindling its 2018 call for the Government to desist from signing the MoU. During a 2018 visit to Guyana, Prime Minister Rowley had inked an MoU with the Granger administration, which was not well received by the GCCI. In fact, upon hearing news of the MoU, the Chamber had called an emergency press conference where its then President, Deodat Indar cautioned that it could have far-reaching adverse effects on Guyana and its business community.
In its release, the Chamber noted that local enterprises have been continuously complaining about the difficulties of conducting business in and with Trinidad and Tobago.
“Being the oldest and largest private-sector representation organisation in Guyana, it is our mandate to ensure that the concerns of the enterprises that have continuously expressed difficulties as it relates to doing business in and with Trinidad and Tobago are voiced,” the Chamber said.
The GCCI has been vocal about issues regarding Guyana and Trinidad over the past few years, including the trade barriers and tensions with the twin-island over Guyana’s Local Content legislation.
