See full statement from the American Chamber of Commerce of Guyana (AmCham Guyana):
The American Chamber of Commerce of Guyana (AmCham Guyana) and the Guyana Development Initiative (GDI) recently hosted Dr. Christian Ketels from the Harvard Business School for a compelling presentation on “Company Strategy and the Role of the Private Sector in Guyana’s Development.”
The event was held last Tuesday, November 14, at the Guyana Marriott Hotel, marking a successful collaboration between the two organizations.
Dr. Ketels’ expertise and experience covers a wide area, including the foundations of long-term growth, the role of location and macroeconomic factors in company success, clusters and cluster-based policies, and regional and innovation policies, and his presentation touched on critical issues for fostering sustainable growth in the private sector considering Guyana’s national context.
Key points that resonated with the audience included the need for strategic thinking, enhancing operational effectiveness, leveraging partnerships to accelerate change, and strengthening the enabling environment.
The presentation brought together a diverse audience of AmCham Guyana’s membership, representatives from the wider Guyana private sector, and other key stakeholders including representatives of the diplomatic community.
The success of the AmCham Guyana and GDI collaboration was further emphasized by a Private Sector Breakfast Meeting with Dr. Ketels on Thursday, November 16, which brought together leading players in various sectors to better understand the needs of the private sector and other priority issues in relation to private sector growth.
Among the key areas discussed was the increased role that private sector leaders and business support organizations can play in addressing skills gap and retention of labour, providing mentorship and training support to local businesses to equip them with tools and knowledge in specific areas such as company strategy and business planning, and strategically working with the Government on the priority areas for private sector development.
The GDI, a project led by the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness at Harvard Business School to provide technical and strategic assistance on initiatives in priority areas, highlighted its ongoing partnership with the Government of Guyana. GDI is seeking to leverage Harvard resources and build partnerships with Harvard University to support Guyana’s development efforts.
The visit of Dr. Ketels is one initiative with the private sector, and an early step in identifying specific areas to support the private sector capacity development needs.
