Guyana Expo in Toronto opens tomorrow
--- President Jagdeo to attend
Guyana Chronicle
June 17, 2004
GINA -- PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo, is expected to attend the 38th Guyana Independence Festival opening in Toronto tomorrow and concluding on Sunday.
The Guyanese Head of State is scheduled to arrive in Canada today. He is accompanied by Public Service Minister Jennifer Westford, Advisors to the President Manniram Prashad and Feroze Mohamed, Chairman of the Guyana Office for Investment (GOINVEST) Mr. Kellawan Lall and Chief Executive Officer, Geoffrey DaSilva.
According to a release from the Guyana Consulate in Canada, Guyana’s participation at the Festival is set to create a record with the Guyana Trade Exposition, being organized for the first time, with assistance from GOINVEST.
The Trade Exposition will open at the Travelodge Hotel, Keele St and Hwy 401, tomorrow.
It will focus on showcasing and promoting Guyana and Guyanese products, with some of Guyana’s finest products on display.
President Jagdeo is scheduled as the keynote speaker at the Seminar on Trade and Investment in Guyana, under the theme, “Guyana - the Gateway into South America”, where he is expected to outline Guyana’s plans to position itself as the central access into South America. The Seminar is also scheduled for the Travelodge Hotel on June 18.
Many prominent businesses from Guyana are expected at the Exposition, including DDL, Precision Wood Working, the Continental Group of Companies, Edward Beharry Company, Twins, Eco-Tourism Resort Operators and Liana Cane Interiors, to name a few.
Among the products being displayed will be gold jewelllery, nibi, rattan and other types of furniture, handicraft, bamboo and wooden crafts, pottery, leather craft, foods and seafood, pharmaceuticals and wood products.
The Guyana-Canada Business and Professional Association, a networking organization aimed at brining together the Guyanese business and professional communities, will also be launched on Friday, June 18 at the Travelodge Hotel.
The launch brings to fruition an effort initiated two years ago by the Consul General, Danny Doobay.
The Guyana-Canada Business and Professional Association promotes itself as a professional organization aimed at promoting the interests of the Guyanese business and professional community in Guyana and Canada.
The launch is part of “Guyana Night”, organized by the Guyana Independence Festival Committee and the Guyana Consulate. “Guyana Night” is a networking reception involving representatives of more than 50 companies from Guyana, Guyanese businesses and professionals from across the Greater Toronto Area.
The primary objective of the Association is to develop a strong and vibrant business and professional community in Toronto. In addition to providing a multitude of networking opportunities amongst its membership, the Association will also assist its membership in developing strong linkages with Canadian and Guyanese companies.
More than 200,000 Guyanese live in Canada, three-quarters of whom reside in southwestern Ontario. Upwards of 30,000 Guyanese are employed in managerial and supervisory positions in both the public and private sectors.
President Jagdeo will also be the guest of honour at the flag rising ceremony on Saturday, June 19 at the L’Amoreaux Community Centre and at the Western Union-Guyana Festival Celebrity Cricket Match on Sunday June 20.
The events of Saturday at the L’Amoreaux Community Centre will be held over to Sunday, including the culture show, food festival, dominoes, soccer, lime and much more. There will be three cultural shows: two on Saturday and one on Sunday.
The Festival concludes with the Inter-faith service and the Western Union-Guyana Festival Celebrity cricket match on Sunday.