Govt to consider issues raised by stakeholders on State-owned bottled water project – Indar 

Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation, Deodat Indar, on Wednesday continued follow-up discussions with representatives of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) and key stakeholders in Guyana’s bottled water industry regarding the state-owned bottled water initiative under Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI).

The follow-up brought GWI to the table, represented by Chief Executive Officer Shaik Baksh; Executive Director of Business Development Jaigopaul Ram; Executive Director of Finance Mark David; Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Julie Mingo-Todd; and Communications Manager Travis Bruce.

Minister Indar was also joined by the Ministry’s Director General, Alfonso De Armas.

The private sector delegation included PSC Chairman Captain Gerald Gouveia Jr.; PSC Vice-Chairwoman and Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) President Kathy Smith; representatives of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry Guyana (WCCIG) and Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA); and representatives of Banks DIH, Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), Pure Water, Clear Water, Aquafina and other bottled water producers and suppliers.

Private sector representatives formally presented their concerns, while Minister Indar reaffirmed that the Government’s initiative is not intended to compete with existing businesses and assured stakeholders that the issues raised will be considered as discussions continue.