Former rice board head appointed executive director of GMSA
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Kaieteur News – Former General Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board, Nizan Hassan, has been appointed the new executive director of the Guyana Manufacturing & Services Association (GMSA)
In a press release the GMSA said the appointment was made as it seeks to reposition the organisation to fulfill its mandate.
Hassan will be managing the secretariat of the association, while promoting and delivering the GMSA’s objectives under the guidance of the Board of Directors. Mr. Hassan has over thirty years of experience in management of micro, small and medium-sized businesses across Guyana especially those of agricultural background.
During his career, he was very instrumental in the creation of campaigns in the agricultural sector which promoted development and expansion of value-added products in agriculture. Mr. Hassan holds an MBA in Business Administration.
Meanwhile, the GMSA has also appointed Travis Bruce as its Corporate Communications Specialist who will be responsible for public relations and promoting the GMSA brand, products and services to potential, new and existing members. Mr. Bruce has over four years of combined experience in media and public engagement. He has led programmes and policy discussions with key stakeholders regarding current
affairs in Guyana. He is a youth advocate and is passionate about making a difference in the landscape of Guyana.
GMSA lauds amendments to COVID measures
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Pursuant to the advisory issued today, regarding the amendments to the COVID-19 emergency measures (No 1 of 2022), the GMSA welcomes this provision by the National COVID-19 task force. The Government of
Guyana through this task force has been monitoring and evaluating the impact of the pandemic in Guyana, thus resulting in the lift of the National Curfew at this time. We support this provision since worldwide trends have pointed to vaccination coupled with responsible behaviours is considered to be the most effective way to fight this pandemic rather than lockdowns.
The GMSA also uses this opportunity to encourage all manufacturing and services organizations, and furthermore the entire business community to be cognizant of their actions in the elimination of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We urge the Citizens of Guyana to be responsible in their actions and behaviours going forward and to become vaccinated and to get booster shots where applicable so that we can curb the spread of this disease.
Furthermore, we remind the general public to continue hand washing, using face masks and following all related COVID-19 protocols.
Read MoreGMSA budget comment seeks more $$ for small business development
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Against the backdrop of what, over several years, has been a failure on the part of government to grant incentives and create opportunities for the meaningful expansion and growth of the micro- and small-business sector in Guyana, one of the country’s high-profile Business Support Organizations (BSOs) has issued a call for the government to ‘change gears,’ and to throw its weight more purposefully behind modest business ventures even as these continue to become manifestly worn down by the various pressures associated with the advent of the coronavirus pandemic.
On Saturday last, the Guyana Manufacturing & Services Association (GMSA) used its customary media assessment of the country’s annual budget to call for “an expansion of the grant component” on funding provided by the country’s Small Business Bureau (SBB) “to further improve small businesses’ capability and readiness for local content opportunities.”
In issuing the call for a more generous measure of grant financing from the SBB, the GMSA noted that much of the GMSA’s membership “is made up of small business owners especially in the agro-processing sector.”
Since its launch in 2013 the SBB has been unable to provide an adequate response to the growth ambitions of its members, particularly in the agro-processing sector, a circumstance that has drawn criticism from agro- processors who have made comments to the effect that the Bureau is not ideally structured to keep pace with the growth ambitions of micro and small businesses. Other critics of the modus operandi of the SBB blame what they say has been the fact that from its inception it has failed to secure the autonomy that is necessary for its effectiveness but rather, continues to be tied to the ‘apron strings’ of a government ministry, with all of the procedures and constraints that attend that relationship. What its being harnessed to a government ministry has also created over the years is its inheritance of a reluctance to place information in the public domain with regard to what is widely believed to be its considerable task to meet the job creation targets set back in 2013.
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‘He led a life worthy of emulation’ – GMSA
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The Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) says the late Dr Yesu Persaud “truly led a life worthy of emulation, one that will inspire many for generations to come”.
In a statement yesterday, the GMSA noted that Dr Persaud served as president of the GMSA, then known as the Guyana Manufacturers Association (GMA) in 1992 where he deployed his skills and experience and worked tirelessly for Guyanese manufacturers. It also noted that he was also one of the initial conceivers of a single Private Sector Commission that would represent and further the interests of the local private sector and function as the interface with the Government and international funding agencies.
His work for Private Sector development was instrumental and his contributions to the development of Guyanese society remain unparalleled, the GMSA said.
In his memory, it echoed some words that he had shared with the GMSA a few years ago: “Whatever you do must be done well or don’t do it at all” – this was his mantra. “I am my own person. I think I know what is good for the development of my country and I will pursue it to my end.”
Read MoreGMSA worried about lack of leadership at GA-FDD
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– calls on Minister to ensure compliance with rules, regulations, and standards
Kaieteur News – The Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) has a crucial role in maintaining the nation’s health and well-being through speaking directly as a regulatory body on the importation of food, drugs and other like materials into Guyana.
GMSA President, Rafeek Khan
Over the last few years, the GA-FDD had made significant strides towards delivering on its mandate to the nation.
This observation was made in a release issued yesterday by the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), which noted that it has been monitoring the recent developments at the GA-FDD and wishes to express its concerns.
According to the release, the GMSA, through the Agro-Processing Sub-sector Chairman, has indicated that there is a seeming lack of leadership “as a result of the Director’s absence, which could call this quality reputation of GA-FDD into question, hinder progress and also raises concerns of transparency and accountability.”
The GMSA therefore, “wishes to urge that this department, which comes under the Ministry of Health, be empowered to carry out its mandate independently and effectively.”
Added to this, the GMSA noted that, “We also requested that the relaxing of the rules mandated by law regarding the importation of food and other products into Guyana, be re-examined.” In this regard, the association noted that it has actively engaged the Ministry of Health to review and relax the said provisions made by law. However, “we are concerned that the agreement created, which allows for the importation of items on the basis of documentation from a non-regulatory body in Florida, is not working as was initially intended since we continue to see questionable items imported into the country, based on documentation from the said body in Florida.”
Added to this, the GMSA said that, “While we are cognisant of the many challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the issues associated with the global supply chain, we should not compromise on the nation’s health and well-being.”
The Standards regarding the origin, labelling and naming of local distributors on labels where necessary is very clear. However, this standard is being flouted in some cases, while our sister CARICOM countries rigidly enforce this, the GMSA observed. These actions, it noted, are contradictory to the spirit of the recently passed Local Content Act. Moreover, the GMSA said that it is calling on the Minister of Health to ensure the compliance of rules, regulations, and standards and to empower the GA-FDD to so do.