–as GOGEC mulls becoming a member of the regional body

THE Guyanese business community is set to benefit from a wider range of opportunities in the Caribbean as the Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC) has agreed to join the CARICOM Private Sector Organisation.
President of GOGEC, Manniram Prashad, said that the chamber is seeking to maintain its position as a key player in the oil-and-gas sector in Guyana.
According to a GOGEC release, Prashad met with the Technical Director of the CARICOM Private Sector Organisation (CPSO), Dr. Patrick Antoine, on Friday.
During the engagement, Prashad said he expressed a keen interest in GOGEC becoming a member of the CPSO.
The release disclosed that the representatives of the two private sector organisations held exploratory discussions at the Georgetown Office of GOGEC on the role of the private sector in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).
They used the opportunity to exchange information on both institutions, recalling their historical antecedents and the respective mandates of the CPSO and GOGEC.
Dr. Antoine spoke of the unique position the CPSO holds as an Associate Institution of the CARICOM Community, while Mr. Prashad related that GOGEC is seeking to maintain its position as a key player in the oil-and-gas sector in Guyana.
Dr. Antoine further elaborated that the CPSO is currently engaged in a membership outreach and onboarding programme, and acknowledged the recent decision of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry to join the CPSO.
He said too that the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) and the Barbados Manufacturers’ Association (BMA) are now members of the CPSO.
Both sides acknowledged the critical partnership that is necessary between the Member States of CARICOM and their respective private sectors, to advance the vision for the CSME, as articulated by the Prime Minister of Barbados and Lead Head with Responsibility for the CSME in the CARICOM Quasi Cabinet, Mia Mottley.
In this regard, Dr. Antoine noted the importance of regular dialogue between the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), and the CPSO, particularly in areas such as achieving regional food security and industrial development, as well as in addressing subject areas such as Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) and Front of Package Labelling (FOPL).
Prashad supported this position and said that it was in the interest of GOGEC to align itself with the CPSO through membership. To this end, GOGEC will review the aims and objectives of the CPSO to identify synergies and possible areas of convergence. The meeting ended with a pledge by the two sides to collaborate going forward in order to better position the private sector in the task of regional integration.