While appreciating the need to speed up the implementation of the National Competitiveness Strategy, Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Ronald Webster believes tremendous work is being done to increase Guyana’s competitiveness.“I don’t think it (the Council) is moving slothful. Certainly, when I came on as Chairman of PSC, I was a little worried. But there is tremendous amount of work being done. I would like to see it move faster,” Webster said.The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI),Chicago Cubs Travis Wood Jersey, in its Competitiveness Manifesto, listed the need to accelerate the implementation of the National Competiveness Strategy (NCS). According to GCCI, “Guyana’s NCS came into being in 2006, shortly after extensive consultations at the Presidential Summit. The NCS represents a comprehensive strategy for making Guyana a highly competitive global economic power; in fact,St. Louis Cardinals Whitey Herzog Jersey, many of the recommendations contained in this document forms part of the NCS.”“However,Adrian Beltre Rangers Jersey, while some initiatives have been implemented, many still have not been operationalised. We urge the National Competiveness Council to ensure that the goals of the strategy are fast tracked and implemented,” GCCI stated.The Council is chaired by President Donald Ramotar. Other members include Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh; Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Irfaan Ali and Chairman of the Private Sector Commission Ronald Webster.According to Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon, members’ responsibilities are enormous because competiveness in Guyana depends on a wide range of implementable sequences, including legislative, administrative, revenue (GRA), and the considerations of stakeholders have to be solicited.“And if there is any sloth, believe you me, a lot of it has to do with differences between stakeholders. Government might say,Michael Taylor Nationals Jersey, ‘you see that provision in the law, we think it should be changed’. But, we are not going to do that unilaterally. We call the Private Sector and say ‘what you think?’ One element of the Private Sector may say no, another element would say yes. The long and short of it, a conclusion is not arrived at until all these differences are reconciled and we move forward,” he said.While members of the Council are working in various Committees towards implementing the strategy,Ron Duguay Rangers Jersey, the lack of competiveness remains one of the big problems facing Guyana.According to Webster, for Guyana to attract investors and be competitive, the economy needs to be efficient with proper infrastructure, communication, processing of documents and affordable energy.“This strategy is about identifying key elements that we need and this is where you have the government and Private Sector Commission working together to achieve these key objectives,” he added.Referring to the work of the Council, Webster said regular meetings with the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) are held to improve the system to process import and export documents within minutes, rather than weeks.He said the Council is looking closely at the creation of an automated single window processing system. “We have to be careful that we don’t have something so complicated that it is not workable or we go to something that is so simple that you have to constantly modify it and it runs out of capacity.”A consultant is currently reviewing various options, and a model has been finalized and is now out to tender. In the end, a series of agencies would be linked with systems being used at GRA. However, this new programme would not replace the one at GRA.“That is one factor that would be of tremendous assistance because time is money. And if you have to have people sitting all day in front Customs House or chasing after some Customs Officer, that is money wasted and that adds to the cost of what you are importing or exporting,” he said.Webster said the strategy depends heavily on infrastructure with emphasis on interior airports, coastland and interior roads, and docks. This would enable the widening of the economic base that needs to move away from commodity products, such as, gold, bauxite, sugar, and rice.He suggested that Guyana hasten moves towards becoming more involved in value added industries. One step towards this breakthrough would be affordable energy. As such, the Private Sector has been pushing for the Amaila Falls Hydropower project.“If energy cost drops, we pay higher wages and employees in turn spend money on commodities such as building houses and buying televisions. So, it creates more jobs and has tremendous trickledown effect on the economy,” he added.Webster emphasized that there are many ventures the business community would like to get done and finds it disappointing with the foot-dragging of the hydropower project that would be beneficial to everyone.“The thing analysts probably don’t understand about hydroelectric schemes is when you put it in, it last about nearly 100 years or more. When you put in W?rtsil? generators, they last for about 18 years and then they are replaced,Edson Puch Chile Jersey,” Webster stressed.He pointed out that neighbouring Suriname has companies that engage in similar operations like Guyana but they face a fraction of the cost because of energy. In fact, Suriname is becoming increasingly competitive and moving a little faster than Guyana.According to the Private Sector Commission Chairman, Guyana is part of a competitive world and if strides are not made to execute projects quickly, the country will lose out on countless opportunities. He pegs the Amaila Falls Hydropower and the construction of the Lethem to Georgetown Road as the two most important projects for Guyana.“Our real market is south to the border because there are millions of potential customers. Some of those things are critical and calls for money. So you cannot do it alone and the Private Sector in Guyana does not have the wherewithal to do it and government not does have the financial capacity to do it,” he said.He noted that the National Economic Forum is coming up and the Opposition Parties in the National Assembly are involved. It would focus on energy, tourism,Tony Dorsett Jersey, infrastructure, human resources and manpower planning, non-Caribbean trade, manufacturing and standards,Enrique Hernandez Dodgers Jersey, aquaculture, agro processing, aviation and land use.Webster said that aquaculture appears to be an element slipping on the wayside and is something that needs to be built on because it’s controllable like poultry rearing.