Que Pasa Weekly Chats - A Conversation with Natalia Seepersaud, CEO, Canada Guyana Chamber of Commerce.

Guyana is about to be one of the economic growth engines of the post-pandemic world. Thanks to a massive offshore oil discovery by Exxon, experts estimate its 2021 growth rate to be around 26%after adjusting for the effects of COVID-19. While it was once one of the poorest nations in South America, according to Scott B. MacDonald, (Chief Economist for Smith’s Research & Gradings, Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) and a Research Fellow at Global Americans), “Guyana is no longer the isolated country on the northeastern shoulder of South America it once was. The combination of massive oil discoveries; improved global communications; and a better-connected diaspora in North America, the United Kingdom and the Caribbean means that Guyana is no longer on the outskirts of the global economy. It has attracted large multinational companies, including the likes of the U.S.’s ExxonMobil and Hess, Spain’s Repsol, and China’s CNOOC.”

In December, the Canada-Guyana Chamber of Commerce was created to address the increasing flow of commerce between the two countries. On Tuesday, February 23rd, our weekly chat will feature the Chamber’s CEO, Natalia Seepersaud.

Natalia Seepersaud is the Inaugural Chief Executive Officer of the Canada-Guyana Chamber of Commerce (CGCC). The CGCC is a non-partisan institution whose mandate is to promote and facilitate investment and trade between Guyana and Canada. Prior to joining the CGCC Natalia held several public service portfolios in Guyana including, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Office for Investment and Deputy Chief Executive Officer and In-House Legal Counsel for the Government of Guyana owned National Commercial and Investments Limited where she was on the Project Team for several national development projects including the Marriott Hotel, Guyana, and several State-owned Industrial Estates.