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The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI) has taken note of the public discourse occurring in the domain of local content. Firstly, the Chamber would like to reiterate, being the lead advocate for instituting a local content framework in Guyana, that it is fully supportive of the Government’s efforts at promoting local content and benefits for Guyanese.

It is with this in mind that the Chamber would like to state that local participation must be done in a manner that engenders meaningful and genuine partnerships. Such participation will ensure that benefits accrue not just to Guyanese owners, but to Guyana. The GCCI wishes to strongly repudiate any enterprise or citizen that seeks to exploit the local content framework by operating under the guise of local participation when this is not, in fact, the reality of the operation.

This phenomenon – commonly referred to as ‘fronting’ or ‘rent-a-citizen’ – has the potential to reduce the amount of value which accrues to Guyana and runs counter to the spirit and intent of the Local Content Act. As such, the Chamber calls on the Local Content Secretariat to examine the ‘beneficial ownership’ of enterprises seeking to obtain Local Content Certificates and recommends that the ‘burden of proof’ regarding beneficial ownership lie with the enterprise seeking to apply for the Certificate. This will act as a layer of protection against those seeking to operate in this unethical and unpatriotic manner.

The GCCI encourages the Local Content Secretariat to continue its vetting of companies applying for a Local Content Certificate in a thorough fashion. The Chamber wishes to use this opportunity to remind enterprises of their obligation to comply with the laws of Guyana and reiterates its continued support in the process of national development.

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