GUYEXPO, billed for the National Exhibition Centre, Sophia, Georgetown, on September 26-29, was officially launched yesterday by Minister of Trade, Tourism and Industry, Mr. Manzoor Nadir.

The event this year is being held under the theme, `The call to El Dorado', chosen specially to portray Guyana the way the legend of El Dorado has.

"We are El Dorado. We have been discovered. El Dorado is our people, it's our products, it's our hospitality. These are the things that are going to pull people to invest, whether they are investing on a domestic basis or on an overseas basis", Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Industry, Ms. Sonia Roopnauth told the Chronicle.

Judging from previous years, some 75,000 people are expected to visit GUYEXPO 2002, Nadir said. According to him, this year's GUYEXPO will focus on "building confidence in Guyana" so that Guyanese will see what their country is doing and the quality of goods and services produced here in comparison to what is imported.

Nadir said GUYEXPO will not only focus on displaying goods and services. "We will have on display what we are doing with respect to our educational system, and how we are organising the social infrastructure in the country to deliver good, well-trained workers."

"In all, what we want to do is to promote all these goods and services in such a way that it will bring a big boost to the local market, and instead of wanting to sell something overseas, the message will go out and people will want to come to Guyana to buy our goods and services", he added.

Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Mr. Brian James pledged the organisation's full participation in GUYEXPO in keeping with its goal to push the resources of Guyana. He said that within the last six months, the PSC, working with agencies such as the Guyana Office for Investment (GOINVEST), has attended trade fairs in Brazil, Colombia, Japan and other countries, with the aim of promoting Guyana.

"It's a wonderful opportunity to display what Guyana has to offer", James said of GUYEXPO, urging everyone to make sure that they participate in making this year's event the biggest ever.

Head of GOINVEST, Mr. Geoffrey DaSilva, said this year's GUYEXPO will be the largest because there is continuing interest by people overseas to invest in Guyana.

Proving that he was not exaggerating, DaSilva said in the last 11 months, there have been some 77 visits by businessmen interested in investment opportunities from 21 countries, including Israel, Belgium, China, Colombia, South Korea, Kuwait, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the U.S. and islands of the Caribbean.

"So contrary to some people's opinions, people are looking at Guyana and a lot of it depends on how we promote our country", he said. "If we don't promote our country, no one else will."

On display at GUYEXPO, DaSilva said, would be products of the sectors in which the Government is pushing for investment.