By Sandi Bowen

Delivering on its mandate to provide new business opportunities for local businesses, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) partnered with Finnpartnership, a business partnership programme financed by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, to host a “Doing Business with Finland” Seminar on Wednesday, February 12th, 2020 at the Office of the Chamber.

Finland’s Roving Ambassador for the Caribbean, Pertti Iknonen, delivered opening remarks at the event, noting that the seminar was an excellent opportunity for Guyanese and Finnish businesses to explore areas of mutual interest with the intention of establishing Joint Ventures and similar partnerships. The Finnish Ambassador added that Finland is an attractive business hub as the country is globally renowned for its expertise in the ICT and education sectors and has been ranked among the top countries in the world in green economy.

The first session of the seminar was facilitated by representatives of Finnpartnership, Hanna Vittala, Grants Manager, and Kaisa Arkkila, Collaboration Coordinator. The Finnish delegation was also accompanied by Finnish Ambassador for Trade and Development, Pekka Voutilainen. The Finnpartnership team provided participants with an insider’s guide to conducting business with Finland, which included an overview of the Finnpartnership Matchmaking service, and information on export procedures and regulations for Finland and the Nordic countries.

The Finnpartnership team also presented proposals from Finnish companies currently seeking business partners in Guyana. Finnpartnership noted that Finnish companies are interested in the sectors of education, ICT, green economy, with a specific focus on sustainable forestry, and port business. At the end of the first session, Chamber members participated in an on-the-spot business matchmaking segment.

President of the GCCI, Nicholas Deygoo-Boyer, facilitated the second session of the seminar. Mr. Deygoo-Boyer presented on Business Opportunities in Guyana which provided participants and members of the Finnpartnership team with an overview of the business landscape in Guyana and current investment opportunities.

There was a high level of interest among local businesses and the Finnish delegation which resulted in an interactive and successful event. The event provided members of the GCCI with the opportunity to ask questions, seek advice and build connections to assist in their international growth.