Georgetown Chamber 2016/17 annual report records 38% growth in membership
export-readiness of enterprises in creative industries particularly music and art and craft as well as agro-processing.” The GCCI, meanwhile, has established a formal relationship with the CTCS that is facilitating a three-year programme aimed at “enhancing the managerial, technical and operational capacity of MSEs [medium and small enterprises] in Guyana” in order to enhance their prospects for productivity, profitability and competitiveness. In its Annual Report the Chamber also provides details of its staging and participation in as number of workshops including a CDB- sponsored sub-regional workshop on “Managing for Development Results for Cooperating Institutions of the Caribbean Technological Consultancy Services Network, a management strategy that focuses on using information to enhance the quality of decision-making.” During the reporting period the GCCI also created its ‘Conversation Circle,’ a forum that has enabled young entrepreneurs to interact with and benefit from the experiences of prominent business owners. The Chamber paid tribute to a number of local institutions including Republic Bank, Scotia Bank, Digicel and the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company for supporting its work during the reporting period. The report also focused on the initiatives taken by the GCCI to expand its external reach through bilateral engagements with officials of various organizations including the Washington-based Creative Associates International Inc, the InterAmerican Development Corporation, the United States Agency for International Development, the Procasur Corporation and officials attached to the SKYE Project. During the reporting period, meetings were also held with United States Embassy officials and business delegations from Suriname, China and the Republic of the Philippines. The GCCI said it also benefited from the attachment of a volunteer from the Canada-based development organization CUSO International that works to reduce poverty and inequality and which is focused on the establishment of business incubators as economic tools. The outcome of the CUSO International attachment will be to provide the Chamber with information that would assist in establishing a business incubator centre for young entrepreneurs.