Yesterday, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI)’s Council had an introductory meeting with the Non-resident Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain to Guyana, His Excellency Fernando Nogales. The meeting, which was held in the GCCI’s boardroom saw the Ambassador receiving warm welcomes. 

During their introductions, Nogales was enlightened about the Chamber’s mandate, its objectives and prospects for the Guyanese business community. Following their introductions, a fruitful engagement kickstarted which saw critical areas being discussed such as access to markets, travel, financing, and Guyana’s current prominent sectors which included oil and gas and agriculture. 

As both parties engaged in deep discussion about the business community, great focus was placed on the topic of market access, more specifically, access to the European market by Guyanese businesses. The Chamber expressed that there can be many hindrances when attempting to expand businesses into the European market which includes visa access. It was noted that the lack of a visa issuing office in Guyana has been a great barrier to doing more trade with Europe and hopefully it can be further deliberated upon in the future. 

The Ambassador was very receptive to the Chamber’s concerns and also offered great insight into the European market. Nogales also stated that he was happy to meet with the Chamber, adding that it is a start to a working relationship which would benefit the Guyanese business community.