His Excellency President Dr Irfaan Ali stressed that each new investment sets off a chain reaction across the economy. From the very first dollar, he noted, revenue begins to circulate — flowing from the investor to small businesses and grassroots enterprises.
“Economists describe how funds circulate and multiply. It passes from worker to shopkeeper, from shopkeeper to wholesaler, from wholesaler to transporter, from transporter to mechanic, from mechanic to farmer, from farmer to market, and onward again. That is how economies grow.”
Speaking at the opening of the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel on Thursday, the President highlighted that new hospitality spaces extend benefits beyond their walls, creating jobs and business opportunities across the population.
He added that investment functions as a catalyst for changing lives. During construction, he explained that scores of Guyanese workers — engineers, masons, carpenters, welders, electricians, plumbers, painters, heavyduty operators, truck drivers, security personnel, landscapers, cleaners and supervisors — found employment. Each wage earned became spending power: paying rent, buying groceries, covering transport, sending children to school, and supporting shops, vendors, taxi drivers and restaurants.
The President noted that these jobs created opportunities for personal gains, while they also generate tax revenue, which “contribute to public services such as hospitals, schools, roads and drainage, supporting a safer and healthier society. That is the multiplier effect of investment.”
In the operational phase, he explained that the ripple effect persists: guests dine in restaurants, hire taxis, visit attractions, buy local products and use services. Conferences bring business travellers; weddings support decorators, photographers, florists, musicians and caterers. “Each occupied room has the potential to generate opportunities beyond the hotel itself.”
President Ali explained that “when hospitality grows, many sectors grow with it.” He said the experience visitors have in Guyana’s hotels shapes the country’s international reputation, with professional service and quality becoming part of the national brand. “Every satisfied guest becomes an ambassador for Guyana.”
Combine forces for success
The President emphasised that investments are not only for foreigners but also for locals. “We want joint ventures. We want supply linkages. We want shared prosperity. We want Guyanese enterprise to grow alongside international investments.”
He also underscored Guyana’s investorfriendly climate and dismissed criticisms of foreign investment as predatory. “Countries that discourage investment often face slower development. Without investment, roads are delayed, hotels are not built, factories do not open, and jobs stagnate. Innovation slows; opportunity shrinks. This is not the path of Guyana.”
“Those who invest in Guyana today are not taking a gamble on uncertainty. Every investor is placing confidence in one of the most exciting growth stories in the world. We are building. We are rising. We are advancing. We are transforming.”
