Canada’s Int’l Trade Minister visiting Guyana next week

Canada’s Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development Mary Ng will visit Guyana and Jamaica next week, according to a media advisory from the Government of Canada.

The advisory, issued on Friday, stated that the minister’s visit is meant to “strengthen Canada’s trade relationships in the Caribbean and open new doors for Canadian businesses and exporters.”

Minister Ng is expected to meet with government leaders in Guyana and Jamaica, as well as key leaders in green sector industries. And during her visit, she is expected to lead a virtual trade mission for over 150 businesses, helping them grow and expand into the Caribbean.

The News Room understands that Minister Ng will be in Guyana on Tuesday, April 12.

The Canadian Minister’s planned visit comes just months after the High Commissioner of Canada to Guyana Mark Berman made a public pitch for Canada to be a bigger business partner for Guyana.

Before the discovery of oil and gas offshore Guyana, Canada was Guyana’s largest export partner in the extractive sector.

And at a networking event at his official residence in Georgetown, last December, Berman highlighted that Canada has had a strong presence in Guyana since the country’s independence in 1966. Bilateral relations, he said, have yielded fruitful partnerships in numerous sectors.

More recently, however, the High Commissioner said that Canadian stakeholders have been paying attention to Guyana’s developmental plans across all other sectors. And, though his country is renowned for its expertise in natural resources, specifically mining, he said Canada also has the much-needed expertise in other sectors.