By Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly News|
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — In a major policy shift, President Dr. Irfaan Ali has issued a stern ultimatum to international companies and regional manufacturers, warning that foreign brands looking to capitalize on Guyana’s booming consumer market must invest in onshore production or risk losing access to local consumers entirely.
The Head of State delivered the sweeping warning on Saturday during the official commissioning ceremony of BK Air/Jags Aviation’s two new Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Dornier 228 twin-engine turboprop aircraft. Speaking to an audience of regional corporate leaders and diplomats, President Ali expressed deep impatience with external partners who treat Guyana exclusively as an import destination for finished goods rather than a strategic hub for value-added manufacturing and agro-processing.
“We don’t want to be a market that is only consuming and buying,” President Ali stated directly. “We are a market positioning ourselves to be the best that we can be. And if we are going to take you on as a partner, you have a relationship and a responsibility to invest in this partnership. We are not your marketers; we are your partners.”
The President emphasized that the central government has systematically dismantled regulatory and financial barriers, engineering what he described as the most aggressive, policy-based fiscal incentives for manufacturing and agro-processing in the entire Caribbean region. Consequently, he argued, there is no longer any structural or financial justification for foreign companies to export fully finished commodities to Guyana instead of building domestic factories and expanding local employment.
While clarifying that Guyana remains fundamentally open to high-quality, competitively priced imported goods, the President made it clear that long-term corporate access to the local economy will be tightly leveraged against a company’s tangible contribution to the nation’s productive capacity. He underscored that as Guyana aggressively diversifies its macroeconomic architecture beyond oil, sustainable growth must rely on expanding industries capable of producing goods for both domestic consumption and regional export.
“If we are not good enough for you to manufacture and produce your goods by investing in our economy, then we are not good enough to consume your goods too,” President Ali declared, matching his words with action by highlighting a new, landmark partnership where domestic powerhouse Banks DIH is teaming up with Dominican Republic firms to establish a major manufacturing hub for regional snacks.
In a concurrent challenge targeting the global aerospace industry, the President also called on Indian airline manufacturer HAL to establish a localized technical and maintenance hub directly inside Guyana to service the wider Caribbean and Latin American aviation markets. The President’s direct, protectionist rhetoric marks a defining milestone in Guyana’s modern commercial diplomacy—sending an unmistakable signal to global corporate suites that entering the world’s fastest-growing economy now carries a mandatory requirement for local infrastructure investment.
