Guyana Inc Magazine Issue 27

YOUR FREE COPY TO KEEP! - ISSUE 27

Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics…

Economic Focus:

The hidden facts about the gold sector

Guyana’s Foreign Exchange Market Money Talk:

How have we been serving our debts?

Guyana and the Global Community

KSM: Changing

the face of Construction in Guyana one stone at a time

Gem Madhoo

Guyana’s leading entrepreneur of the liberal arts

Managing Director Frank Sanichara Marketing Iconic Marketing & Printing Inc. Design Iconic Marketing & Printing Inc. Editorial Contributors Kiana Wilburg Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell Sharmain Grainger Tiffanne Ramphal Ministry of Education Murtland Haley Saarah Gajraj Brian Ramsey Dr. Rosh Khan Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards

24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana, South America.

Tel: (592) 223-2169 or (592) 226-7454 For Subscription in Guyana and the Caribbean Contact: (592) 223-2169 or (592) 600-4212 North America: 347-599-6426 Email: guyanainc@gmail.com Website: www.guyanainc.biz

Contents

Founder and Publisher Teshawna Lall, BA, MBA

Gem Madhoo

Guyana’s leading entrepreneur of the liberal arts Editorial: Changes in the Guyanese economy.......................................................... 6

The dangers of treating employees as family.................................... 28

KSM: Changing the face of construction in Guyana one stone at a time...................... 8

Economic Focus: Guyana’s Foreign Exchange Market......................................... 30

Landmark: The Court of Policy Guyana’s oldest Non-Military structure....... 8

‘The Garage’ : Guyana’s first drive-in bar & grill - A convenient answer to dining and entertainment........................... 32

Money talk: How have we been serving our debts?....................................... 10 Ministry of Education: To focus on ‘Innovation’ through youth innovation project........................................................... 12

While every effort has been made to ensure that information is correct at the time of going to print, Innovative Marketing & Publishing Inc. DBA Guyana Inc. cannot be held responsible for the outcome of any action or decision based on the information contained in this publication. The publishers or authors do not give any warranty for the content, explanation or opinion. It is advisable that prospective investors consult their attorney/s and/ or financial investor/s prior to following/ pursing any business opportunity or entering into any investments.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without prior written permission of the Publisher.

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Has Guyana landed in an unfavourable balance?................................ 20 Guyana and the Global Community.......... 24 Business Industry: The Services Sector...................................... 26

22 Lies, damned lies and statistics…

The hidden facts about the gold sector

Making the Business case for trust........... 34 How to manage your stress levels in and out of the workplace........................ 36 Sonia Noel continues to be one of Guyana’s leading designers........................ 38 Key strides in Guyana’s Supreme Court of Judicature...................................... 41 Urinary tract infections: Causes, symptoms and preventative measures...................................................... 42

37 Guarding Against Those Bogus Educational Institutions

40 Protecting Pregnant Women in the Workplace

Editorial

Changes in

the Guyanese

economy

W

ithin the last two years, there have been several changes to Guyana’s fiscal, social and political fabric for various reasons. Most of these changes have resulted in positive benefits for the nation’s regional and international image while securing encouraging reactions from the world over.

But in the domestic borders, these so-called “changes” have earned mixed responses from a concerned populace.

The sugar industry

The troubles plaguing Guyana’s sugar industry and Government’s response to it is a classic example of the mixed reactions one would see from within the nation’s borders compared to that of the international platform.

Sugar remains the largest employer of labour in Guyana, securing a workforce of some 17,000 employees.

But since the year 2000, there have been marked declines in the sugar productions. Solutions of every type were formulated by the former administration, the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), to somewhat steer away from the inevitable – the scaling down of the sector. That administration brought experts from Cuba, Jamaica, India and China, among other territories, but they still couldn’t save the ailing sector. They even invested over US$200 million in constructing one factory—the Skeldon Sugar Factory—that was intended to rescue the industry. But that ended up being nothing but a hydrocele on the sector.

Compounding the issue as well, was the fact that some old factories were not being maintained as they should be. Then, Guyana lost its European Union (EU) market, which offered preferential prices for Guyana’s sugar. To top things off, employment costs and the cost to produce sugar in Guyana was astronomical when compared to Caribbean territories and ABC countries.

Even with all of these issues, the authorities still continued to feed the sector with billions upon billions of dollars in bailouts. This may have quelled the passions of sugar industry advocates in Guyana who believed that sugar is too big to fail and needs to be kept alive no matter the economic costs. But internationally, this was only hurting Guyana’s image.

Big donor agencies, such as the World Bank and the

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International Monetary Fund (IMF), opined that the bailouts were simply too big. They contended that such spending was distorting Guyana’s growth and development in other areas. They cautioned Guyana, on several occasions, that its treatment with the sugar industry would disfigure the moral, economic, political and social well-being of the nation.

Understandably, the authorities of the day could not risk the consequences of not heeding the advice of these powerful global organizations. As such, the authorities today made the bold decision to scale down the sugar industry.

Guyana is now moving in the direction of producing sugar on a small scale; a scale that will only cater for domestic consumption and other smaller markets within CARICOM. The Government has chosen to make the international organizations happy. And one can even argue that the decision regarding the sector is justified in some respect.

However, the locals are not happy with this. Scaling down the sector means putting thousands of workers on the breadline. Where will they go? How will they survive? This drastic change and its social and economic repercussions are yet to be addressed.

200 New Taxes

Another economic change that has left the nation split down the middle is the move by the Government to introduce new taxes. Since the Coalition Government – A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) – came into power, it is the first in Guyana’s history to introduce 200 new taxes.

This decision has earned them unsavory remarks by some and applauses by others.

Some sections of the populace see the Government’s introduction of new taxes, such as a 14 percent Value Added Tax (VAT) charge on water and electricity bills, as well as on private tuition and private health care, as a burden on the poor man. But others, regardless of the implications, believe that it is the best way to go.

In fact, recent statistics by the Ministry of Finance show that Central Government has actually increased by more than 30 percent of its projections. The Ministry of Finance, in its monthly report, revealed that tax revenues for January

2017 were GYD$11.9 Billion. It said that this figure is 40 percent more than the tax revenues earned for the same period in 2016. Total tax revenue for the entire 2017 was budgeted at GYD$162.7 Billion, or 8.67 percent over last year, given the astounding benefits of the new taxes.

The Fight against Corruption

Like many other territories, Guyana has been waging an aggressive fight against corruption, especially since the new administration took office in 2015. And while the efforts on the part of the relatively young government are still to be felt deeply and on a wider national scale, it has still managed to help boost Guyana’s image on the international platform.

One of the major accomplishments for Guyana, when it comes to the fight against corruption, is the establishment of a State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU). This is the first time Guyana would have such a department, which is specifically tasked with the responsibility of recovering state assets which were stolen by officials of the past regime. These would have to be recovered through civil proceedings in the court. The impressive, yet bold move is one that has attracted the praise and even technical assistance of partners in the United States and even organizations like the World Bank.

Another historic step that Guyana has taken on the pathway of anticorruption is that it has launched over 40 forensic audits to identify loopholes which existed under the previous administration for corruption of any form and to plug them all. This has started and performance audits and reports on some agencies have shown that there has been a massive reduction in abuse of resources and corruption and less room for the abuse of the system by some stakeholders.

One of the major areas of weaknesses in Guyana is the public procurement system. So weak was this area that Guyana was said to be losing over GYD$30 Billion annually, based on computations from the Auditor General’s yearly report on the accounts of the nation.

While there were some obstacles in the beginning, the Government has been successful in the establishment of a Public Procurement Commission which will monitor the system for any form of abuse and trickery by contractors. The Commission will also serve to eliminate Cabinet’s no-objection role in billion dollar contracts. The move is one which the nation had waited on for over 23 years.

Conclusion

In order for any country to move forward morally, socially, politically and economically, it must be able to first make an honest assessment of where the weaknesses are and admit them.

After doing so, the next big and important step is to make a sincere effort to address those faults.

Guyana is not perfect in this regard. In fact, no country is, but what is praiseworthy is that the necessary steps are being taken to ensure that Guyana is not stuck in its old ways; efforts are being made to ensure that not only is this nation safe but it has a viable and conducive environment for the growth and development of all.

Be that as it may, there are still a number of challenges facing the nation which have to be addressed sooner rather than later. There are still some loopholes which have to be closed and there are still areas in the economy which are yet to be improved.

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Guyana Inc.

7

Made in Guyana

KSM: Changing the face

of construction in Guyana one stone at a time

W

hile aiming to provide the best quality of blocks and other construction materials, KSM Investments Inc. continues to make its contribution to the people and the economy of Guyana.

In an era where importation seems to be the going thing, it is apt for Guyanese to rally around local manufacturing companies, such as KSM, in support and encouragement for what can provide a better life for all.

Mahadeo Panchu is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KSM. This local manufacturer is determined to be the one to bring greater quality of construction materials to the people of Guyana at a reduced price.

He said that he has seen millions of dollars spent on the construction of roads which deteriorate “overnight.” Then, the government of the day usually has to budget and spend more money for repairs.

“It happened then and it is happening now. However, with the arrival of the most modern concrete product plant in Guyana and in the Caribbean, a new dynamic has been created with the concrete promise of physically changing the landscape of our beautiful country and providing value for money above what has been given before in Guyana.”

Panchu said that Guyana now stands to spend less and get more value for any construction job once his products are utilized.

He boasted that each product is produced at an extremely high quality. Panchu said that all materials used in the manufacturing process are weighed electronically right down to the last kilogram.

“So whether we do a small mix of one metric ton or a large mix of five metric tons, all the materials are weighed precisely in keeping with KSM’s secret mix ratio. And all the materials are mixed together allowing for uniformity in quality in each block or paver produced.”

Panchu and his wife Khainwattie were recently praised for their “entrepreneurial spirit” and investment in the economy by Minister of Business, Honourable Dominic Gaskin. This occurred during a tour of the state-of-the-art concrete products plant at

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Good Hope, East Coast Demerara.

Although its commercial operations in block-making only started in April last, KSM already boasts of many satisfied customers, not only for hollow blocks, but also for the wonderful range of interlocking and non-interlocking stone pavers.

Among their satisfied customers is His Excellency, President David Granger. KSM manufactured and supplied thousands of triple hexagon pavers which were used to construct a parking lot at the State House.

KSM claims that the President was impressed with the quality of the product as well as the way it was packaged and delivered.

There are at least 16 styles of everlast stone pavers for customers to choose from with varying sizes. There are also 35 colours to choose from.

KSM offers coloured hollow blocks and normal blocks (without colour). Normal blocks are available in sizes 4, 6 and 8, while coloured blocks are available in sizes 4 and 6.

Landmark

The Court of Policy: Guyana’s oldest nonmilitary structure

F

ort Island lies at the mouth of the Essequibo River. It holds some of the most prolific and well-preserved pieces of Dutch history in Guyana. However, one that is not so well-known to many is the Court of Policy.

This building is a solid brick structure and was used as a courthouse and office during the week. It is 103 feet long and 36 feet wide with walls that are approximately 24 inches thick. The building holds three chambers and one central hall flanked by smaller rooms. It is here that criminals were once put to death.

The Court of Policy is the oldest non-military structure in Guyana and, to this day, church services are held there occasionally. It has served a number of purposes throughout the years; being a store, a church, a court, seat of government and even a sales office.

One fascinating fact about the Court of Policy is that it contains the tombs of three persons, two are said to have been Dutch officials and the third, the child of another Dutch official.

The Court of Policy was declared a National Monument by the Guyana Government in 1999. It is maintained by the National Trust of Guyana.

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Money Talk: How have we

been serving our debts?

L

ike most countries, Guyana generally finds itself in the position of borrowing money from other nations or regional and/or international organizations.

This borrowing occurs when a nation has found itself in a state of having scarce financial resources which are not enough to meet its annual needs.

These can be in the form of needing new schools constructed and other important infrastructure.

But when the money is borrowed from either regional or international nations or lending agencies, it has to be repaid within a certain time frame that is agreed upon by both parties.

The nation also has to be very watchful of not borrowing too much, lest it lands into a position of having more than half of its annual revenue being absorbed by debt, which must be repaid.

Managing the nation’s debt portfolio for decades is the Bank of Guyana.

According to its latest statistical bulletin, “The outstanding stock of government’s domestic bonded debt, which consisted of treasury bills, bonds, debentures and the CARICOM loan, increased by 10.9 percent to GYD$90,572 Million, due mainly to higher issuance of treasury bills to sterilise excess liquidity in the financial system.”

In addition, a nonnegotiable debenture was issued to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), valued at GYD$4,882 Million, to assist with offsetting its investment loss in CLICO. Furthermore, the total outstanding stock of treasury bills rose by 5.2 percent to GYD$81,468 Million, mainly as a result of higher issuance of the 182-day treasury bills during the review period.

Central Bank, in its report, said that the volume of outstanding 182-day and 364-day bills increased by GYD$6,898 Million and GYD$20 Million to GYD$7,152 Million and GYD$68,319 Million respectively.

Indebtedness to the Caribbean Development Bank increased by 2.2 percent or US$3 Million to US$147 Million and obligations to the International Development Association expanded by 22.4 percent or US$5 Million to US$25 Million.

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“Conversely, the volume of 91-day bills fell by GYD$2,887 Million to GYD$5,998 Million. The maturity structure of treasury bills revealed that the share of 364-day bills represented 75.4 percent of the outstanding stock. The share of the 182-day bill was higher at 7.9 percent while the share of the 91- day bill was lower at 6.6 percent.”

Domestic Debt Service According to Central Bank, Guyana’s total domestic interest charges rose by 9.8 percent to GYD$1,885 Million.

It said that higher interest payments on treasury bills were attributed to greater redemption of the 91-day and 364-day bills compounded with higher yields during the review period.

The Bank also went on to state that interest costs on treasury bills redeemed increased by 10.1 percent to GYD$1,795 Million, resulting primarily from a 11.4 percent or GYD$164 Million increase in interest charges on the volume of 364-day bills redeemed during the year.

Outlook for Domestic Debt for 2017 According to Central Bank, total domestic debt stock is projected to decline marginally as a result of a reduction in the debt outstanding for the non-negotiable debenture to NIS, while domestic debt service payments are projected to increase at the end of 2017.

Bank officials said that debt service payments are expected to increase by 17.8 percent to GYD$2,200 Million at the end of 2017, resulting from a 455.4 percent expansion in interest payments for the 182-day treasury bills.

Additionally, the Bank said that debt service payments for debentures are estimated to grow considerably by 445.1 percent at the end of 2017, due mainly to principal and interest payments for the NIS Non-Negotiable Debenture.

External Debt The stock of outstanding public and publicly guaranteed external debt increased by 2.1 percent to US$1,167 Million from US$1,143 Million in 2015. This outturn amounted to 33.9 percent of GDP at purchaser price, which is below the solvency indicator threshold.

The increase in the outstanding stock reflected greater loan disbursements by the Export-Import Bank of China, as well as the Caribbean Development Bank for project financing.

Obligations to multilateral creditors, which accounted for 59.9 percent of the total outstanding debt, increased by US$7 Million to US$699 Million. Liabilities to the Inter-American Development Bank increased marginally by 0.7 percent to US$493 Million, reflecting a change in the debt stock of US$4 Million during 2016.

Indebtedness to the Caribbean Development Bank increased by 2.2 percent or U$3 Million to US$147 Million and obligations to the International Development Association expanded by 22.4 percent or US$5 Million to US$25 Million.

Conversely, commitments to other multilateral creditors decreased by 2.0 percent to US$34 Million. Total bilateral obligations, which represented 38.6 percent of total external debt, increased by 4.2 percent to US$451 Million.

Indebtedness to the Export-Import Bank of China increased by 17.2 percent or US$21 Million to US$146 Million. Obligations to Venezuela, under the previously terminated PetroCaribe initiative increased by 1.8 percent or US$2 Million to US$123 Million.

Liabilities to Trinidad & Tobago and the Export-Import Bank of India decreased by 24.7 percent and 8.0 percent to US$19 Million and US$18 Million in debt respectively.

External Debt Service According to Central Bank, external debt service payments fell by 45.4 percent to US$54 Million from US$98 Million in 2015. This represented 3.7 percent of export earnings and 6.3 percent of current revenue, significantly below the threshold for liquidity indicators. Principal and interest payments amounted to US$36 Million and US$18 Million respectively.

Furthermore, Central Government’s debt service declined by 44.2 percent to US$50 Million from US$89 Million one year earlier, primarily due to the suspension in principal payments made to the Guyana Rice Development Board for rice and paddy previously supplied to Venezuela under the Debt Swap Agreement.

Similarly, debt service by the Bank of Guyana decreased to US$4 Million from US$9 Million at the end of 2015. The Bank of Guyana, as at November 2016, has fulfilled principal repayments to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for

the loan obtained in 2006 under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust.

Payments to multilateral creditors decreased by 6.2 percent to US$36 Million, and represented 67.4 percent of total external debt service. Conversely, payments to bilateral creditors accounted for 32.6 percent of external debt service payments, contracting by 70.7 percent or US$ 42 Million.

Outlook for 2017 Central Bank projects that total external debt service payments are projected to increase by 19.0 percent to US$64 Million during 2017, compared with US$54 Million in 2016, due mainly to the increase in principal and interest payments to bilateral creditors.

It said that principal payments are expected to increase by 14.7 percent to US$41 Million while interest payments are projected to increase by 26.5 percent to US$23 Million.

Payments to multilateral creditors are likely to rise by 0.9 percent to US$37 Million, while payments to bilateral creditors are expected to increase considerably by 56.2 percent to US$27 Million.

Central Government’s debt servicing is expected to amount to US$64 Million compared with the US$50 Million in 2016.

Debt service payments by the Bank of Guyana are estimated to decline significantly by 99.4 percent to US$0.02 Million at the end of 2017.

Information and statistical data provided by Central Bank

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Guyana Inc.

11

Ministry of Education

to focus on ‘Innovation’

through Youth Innovation Project

I

n simple terms, the word ‘innovation’ is defined as a new idea, method or device.

It is also the process of translating an idea or invention into a good or service that creates value or for which customers will pay. Further, to be called an innovation, an idea must be replicable at an economical cost and must satisfy a specific need.

Innovation involves deliberate application of information, imagination and initiative in deriving greater or different values from resources, and includes all processes by which new ideas are generated and converted into useful products.

In business, innovation often results when ideas are applied by the company in order to further satisfy the needs and expectations of the customers.

Like its rich pristine landscape, Guyana has rich human and natural resources piping with creative juices. The next step is

The project will address inand out-of-school youths, and is intended to harness the hidden innovative spirit among young people by providing timely and affordable interventions and funding to implement their pioneering ideas.

The project will support existing initiatives such as the Youth Entrepreneurship and Skills Training Programme (YEST), the Volunteerism Support Platform (VSP), and the President’s Youth Award Programme Republic of Guyana (PYARG).

In recognition of the high level of unemployment among Guyana’s youth, and the need to further youth development, the Ministry of Education is embarking on a Youth Innovation Project (YIPoG) which was launched on May 22, 2017 at the Umana Yana. the materialization of those ideas which will inevitably position our populace – especially the youth – in the right direction.

In recognition of the high level of unemployment among Guyana’s youth, and the need to further youth development, the Ministry of Education is embarking on a Youth Innovation Project (YIPoG) which was launched on May 22, 2017 at the Umana Yana.

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The Competition The Tertiary Institution and Community Technical Innovation Challenge or TICTIC calls for responses/action by youths/groups/ schools to societal issues. The purpose of this contest is the recognition and support of the production of outstanding project proposals and initiatives in the 10 Administrative Regions of Guyana.

Participants Persons from all 10 Administrative Regions, including Georgetown, in the 16-35 age range and who are not attending a primary or secondary school are eligible to participate.

Applicants are encouraged to come up with creative ideas and fundable project proposals that would qualify them to access training and seed funding. Teams of up to 10 persons will be tasked to design and build a STEAM initiative under the mentorship of their teachers.

STEAM refers to activities based on science, technology, engineering, agriculture, anthropology, archeology, architecture, the arts, mathematics and spirituality.

They will also be expected to use STEAMs to propose innovative solutions for identified problems and compete against other teams in the community and countrywide.

Important dates:Deadline: July 14 Feedback from Selection Committee: July 1 - August 31 Announcement of winning projects: September 1 Production of prototype: September - November Evaluation: December 1-15 Categories for the Winners 1. Most Relevant to Sustainable Communities 2. Most Creative and Innovative 3. Best Plan and Project Design 4. Best use of STEAMS 5. Best Presentation

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Guyana Inc.

13

Gem Madhoo

Guyana’s leading entrepreneur of the liberal arts

T

here is nothing quite like theatre.

It offers society a dramatic yet distinctive opportunity to reflect on mankind’s raw emotions and study his problems as an onlooker. In short, society is able to examine its fully-flawed reflection on stage.

Championing the cultural platform in Guyana is 63-year-old Gem Rebecca Madhoo. Born November 12, this phenomenal woman has been part of Guyana’s theatrical movement for over 40 years. She has made a successful career and business out of it with her husband, Kit Nascimento, by her side every step of the way.

For her unwavering support and sterling contributions to Guyana’s theatrical culture, Madhoo has received some of the nation’s highest honours and awards. These include; the Women of Distinction Award by the YWCA, the Guyana Folk Festival Award ‘In recognition for outstanding contribution to Guyana’s Culture & Heritage’ by the Guyana Cultural Association NY Inc, and the Lifetime Achievement Award for Theatre Arts by the Institute of Creative Arts and Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.

But even with her unmatched contributions in the arena of theatre, this patriot is also a lover of nature. It is no surprise, therefore,that she is the proud owner of one of Guyana’s most enchanting eco-resorts—Hurakabra River Resort.

In this exclusive interview, the Guyana Inc. Magazine is given an in-depth look into the adventurous and multifaceted life of Guyana’s leading lady and entrepreneur of the liberal arts.

Enjoy!

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GROWING UP Guyana Inc. Magazine (GIM): “What are some of your most memorable experiences from your childhood?”

Gem Madhoo (GM): “Playing hide and seek with all the children in the village on the weekends and giving them a hard time to find me because I would always be hiding very high up in one of the big trees in our yard. Also, doing a ‘bush cook’ or cook out at the back of our yard with my friends.”

GIM: “How do you remember your parents during that time of your life and what were some of the most valuable lessons they passed on to you that remain relevant to this day?”

GM: “I was born to Agnes and Victor Madhoo. One of my siblings passed away, so today, I have five brothers and four sisters. My mother worked very hard; taking care of 10 children, running a business and handling all of the household chores. We helped her as we grew older but once we were in high school, she made no demands of us but to focus on our books. Education was very important to both of my parents. My father helped us a lot with our homework. We used to subscribe to the ‘Readers Digest’ which was sent from overseas. By the time the next one arrived, we would have read the current one from end to end. We also bought the Sunday’s newspapers, so there was always a lot of reading material around. My parents made sure we listened

to educational programmes on the radio too. We also grew up knowing that honest living comes from hard work.”

GIM: “What was your schooling life like?”

GM: “I grew up at Auchlyne Village on the Corentyne and I attended Auchlyne Primary School, then Corentyne High School, now named JC Chandisingh Secondary. My parents moved to Britannia on the West Coast, Berbice and after I was successful in my GCE ‘O’ Levels exam, I came to Georgetown.”

GIM: “Before becoming a businesswoman and entering the world of theatre, where did you work, for how long, and what was that experience like for you?”

GM: “After I completed high school, I began working at the Guyana National Cooperative Bank in 1972. I continued studying privately and did up to Part 1 of the Institute of Bankers Exam. I joined the Public Service Union (PSU) Drama Group during the early years at the bank and did my first stage performance in Sheik Sadeek’s play ‘Black Bush.’ During that time, I traveled and saw a lot of Guyana’s coastline, as well as Linden, with the drama group.

I worked for five years before qualifying for extensive annual leave. My feet were itchy and I wanted to travel so I abandoned the remainder of my studies and went on an extended holiday around the world

for eight months. At this time, it would have been unheard of for a young Guyanese girl of my ethnicity to be so brave. But, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I returned to Guyana eight months later, broke but happy; feeling satisfied that I achieved one of my dreams.”

FOR THE LOVE OF THEATRE GIM: “What led to your joining the Guyana Public Service Union drama group? And why did you choose to be back stage as opposed to on stage?”

GM: “I started with the GPSU drama group with the intention of working behind the scenes, but theatre genius, Francis Farrier, was staging a production of three short plays and he needed someone of my ethnicity to do a 12 year-old. I was 20 at the time.

So I ended up as an actress while with the GPSU.” GIM: “What was the experience like being part of your first play?”

GM: “I was very nervous.”

GIM: “In what year was your debut and where?”

GM: “It was in 1974 at the Theatre Guild.”

Gem performing in Link Show 17

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Gem getting made up to perform in the short film ‘Shattered Hopes and Dreams’

GIM: “What are some of your most memorable experiences, during the 70’s to 80’s, as a member of the Theatre Guild?”

GM: “I joined the Theatre Guild in 1978. The level of acting was very high. You had to be really good to compete at auditions, so when plays were being cast, I would opt for working in the production team. I learnt the craft very quickly and enjoyed the whole production process of plays. There was a feeling of ‘family’ at the Guild and a major production was staged for three weeks (18 nights) and sometimes two or three repeats. We rehearsed for two months.

All of this was voluntary, no one was paid.

The presentations were of a very high standard.

We attended workshops every Monday night and I always felt sad when the plays came to an end. It was three great months of working together as a team.

We would have a cast party on the final night. One of the things we always looked forward to on that night is the ‘parody’ of the play put on by the stage crew and the poetry of Patricia Gomes which she would compile about all of us and everything that happened during the rehearsals and performances. They were hilarious.”

GIM: “Tell us about the genesis of The Theatre Company and how transformative it has been for the arts in Guyana?”

GM: “Times were getting really tough in Guyana and those who chose to stay were seeking additional sources of income. Some members of the Guild were travelling to participate in theatre workshops in the Caribbean and returning with information that in many of the

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Islands, the actors were being paid to perform. Our performances were comparable with theirs, so why shouldn’t we earn a living from our talent?

A group of us then brainstormed the idea of forming a group while continuing to be members of the Theatre Guild. The satirical show ‘The Brink Shows’ was staged every four years at the Theatre Guild, with Frank Pilgrim as its architect. We discussed the idea of doing a satirical show with Frank and launching it at the National Cultural Centre (NCC).

Frank came up with the name ‘The Link Show.’ At that time, the Cultural Centre was a white elephant.

The only event that was regular on their calendar was the ‘CC Varieties’, staged at the end of the month by Lord Canary.

Myself, Ron Robinson and later Ian McDonald, joined the board, and legally registered ‘The Theatre Company’. With my limited accounting background, I took on the role of the business aspect of the productions, did the stagemanaging, publicity and generally all organizing aspects of the production.

We had contracts drawn up for all persons working in the production.

‘The Link Show’ was staged on November 1, 1981.

It was a huge success, beyond our expectations. Four nights sold out. The plan to stage it annually was met with a lot of negativism and so did the idea of paying persons for their talent. There were many criticisms. Nevertheless, actors and everyone else in the industry were contracted and paid for their talent in a business-like manner for the first time in Guyana.

The Theatre Company was, from all research, the first registered professional theatre company in Guyana. New playwrights, producers and directors emerged out of this era.

The NCC began to get so many requests for bookings that production meetings had to be scheduled at the beginning of each year to allocate dates to producers.

This was also the time when huge migration was happening in Guyana.”

GIM: “Looking back, what do you wish someone had told you when you were starting out in theatre?”

GM: “To get into writing and directing.”

GIM: “Who or what was your biggest influence?”

GM: “I was baptized by Francis Farrier in theatre, and later, learnt a lot from The Theatre Guild experience and then Ron Robinson when we started The Theatre Company. He knew a lot of the technical aspects of theatre as well as directing. I read many scripts and recommended a lot of the plays that the company staged.”

GIM: “Do you have any theatrical superstitions or rituals before writing, producing or acting?”

GM: “The normal phrase we use is ‘break a leg’. We never say ‘good luck’. I don’t have anything unusual that I do or say. Just focus and get it all done correctly. We also do some concentration exercises with everyone in a circle before the start of the show.”

GIM: “How has theatre changed from the time you entered it to now?”

GM: “Indiscipline is on the top of the list. Serious drama has been lost because we have lost the audience for it. This has been replaced by large doses of comedy and more slaps.”

GEM MADHOO - THE BUSINESSWOMAN IN THEATRE GIM: “Theatre and tourism are central themes in the businesses you have established. Let’s start with GEMS Theatre Productions, kindly share with us how it all got started.”

GM: “It was January 2002 and I was asked to host Sullivan Walker, a Trinidadian/Hollywood performer, in his production ‘Boy Days’. Things were not going too good in my partnership with The Theatre Company and we had just staged the 20th anniversary celebration of the company. It was an opportune moment for me to decide whether I should go independent and start my own production, which I did in February 2002.”

GIM: “How many productions have you staged thus far under GEMS?” GM: “66, inclusive of stage and television productions.”

GIM: “What were some of your favourites?”

GM: “‘Round about midnight’ (musical production combining art, poetry, film and music); ‘Testament’(adapted for stage by Dr.Paloma Mohamed from the book by Dr. Janice Imhoff based on testimonies of cancer survivors); ‘Mood Indigo’ Jazz concerts (a series of Jazz concerts by a combination of local and international artists in very unconventional settings - the lawns of State House on a moonlit evening, grounds of Castellani House); ‘All in Wan’ (a musical written by Dave Martins and sponsored by GTT for Guyana’s 40th Independence Anniversary); ‘Vagina Monologues’ (the internationally acclaimed ‘voice of women’ production); ‘For Love of Aidana Soraya’ (a production based on religious conflicts in a village in Guyana); ‘Talk Tent’ (renowned Caribbean story-teller Paul Keens-Douglas post Trinidad Carnival production). ‘Last of the Redmen’ written, directed and performed by Dr. Michael Gilkes and ‘Couvade’, also by Gilkes, staged for Guyana’s 27th Independence Anniversary.”

GIM: “On a similar note, what prompted you to bring the Vagina Monologues to Guyana and will there be a return of it soon?”

GM: “I collaborated with a VSO attached to the Department of Culture to stage this production. I knew of it and she, Jennifer Davis, was ending her contract in Guyana and we both felt very strongly about the message of the play. This had to do with bringing women’s issues to the fore. We found the need to boldly stage it in Guyana in 2005. It was restaged a few years ago by Colette Jones (who performed in it during my production). There are no immediate plans to restage.”

GIM: “What prompted the birth of your offshoot GEMS Youth Theatre?”

GM: “At that time, there was no workshop or training of any kind for young persons, so I felt there was a void to be filled. I approached the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to fund a six-month workshop covering the field of writing, directing, acting, voice, story-telling and other areas of the theatre for young people.”

GIM: “Has it been difficult taking your productions out of Georgetown since theatres are based in Georgetown?”

GM: “It is very challenging and technically difficult to stage plays outside of Georgetown. You have to compromise and adapt to accommodate the productions in the various situations and venues that are available.”

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GIM: “Garnering so much experience in the world of theatre, what would you say is key to being a great writer and producer?”

GM: “I do not consider myself a writer. As a producer, I would say discipline, dedication and commitment are the key factors.”

GIM: “What are you working on now?”

GM: “Producing the latest television sitcom ‘Days like Dese’ for local television. I also produced a 50-minute short film, ‘Maira and the Jaguar People’ written and directed by Dr. Michael Gilkes, which was filmed in Surama, Rupununi in November 2016. It, however, continues to be an enormous challenge to fund this production. It has been held up owing to both government and private company commitments failing to deliver on promised funds needed to complete it. Once completed, the film would be sent to international film festivals worldwide. The quality of the film is of a very high standard. An overseas crew came to Guyana to make the film. The actors are all indigenous persons from Surama who went through months of training and rehearsals.”

Charles Cort at Youth Theatre Workshop-TG 12.6.07

TOURISM

“Always approach whatever you are doing, especially if finance is involved, in a very professional and business-like manner. When it comes to business, trust yourself first and everyone else afterwards.”

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GIM: “Do share with us how you and your husband got involved in the resort venture?”

GM: “Our resort is purely by accident. It was meant as a retirement home for us and he changed his mind about retiring, so we decided to open it for tourism as an intimate boutique resort.”

GIM: “What’s the most important attribute of your resort?”

GM: “It is very private and intimate and a group of friends or family checking in for a few days can experience having their own private resort all to themselves. We also pride ourselves on serving excellent food.”

GIM: “What is the biggest challenge of owning and managing such a resort?”

GM: “Finding the right staff you can trust to live and work unsupervised in a quiet and peaceful location.”

GIM: “What authentic local experiences will guests have access to at the resort?”

GM: “We serve up a variety of Indigenous, Creole and Indian foods. International flavours are also available, depending on the taste of our guests. They are taken on local tours within the vicinity of the resort. These would involve the historic tours to Fort Island and Kyk-over-al. We offer a jungle walk to spot wildlife, mainly birdlife and monkeys, and for visitors to get a brief glimpse of the types of trees and foliage in Guyana. One can also enjoy seeing hundreds of parrots settling on an isolated Island at sunset, as well as experiencing some of our waterfalls and rapids in the Mazaruni River. One can also have a taste of the bustling activities of Bartica. We even offer water sports on the river such as kayaking, jet skiing, and water skiing.”

GIM: “What led to the production of the tourism booklets (Guyana- Where and What) and what has the response been like over the years for this project?”

GM: “I was inspired by ‘Barbados in a nutshell’ and felt Guyana really needed a small pocket-sized handbook that you can carry around easily. We already had the ‘Explore Guyana’ produced by THAG, which is a large magazine, so I felt this would complement our tourism material. “Where and what” is a mine of information on our country. The response has been excellent. I was really happy to discover that some of the schools are using it as a reference guide. I have a passion for history, so this book gives me the opportunity to realize that.”

GIM: “With the businesses you have built, what would you say were key moments/lessons along the way?”

GM: “Always approach whatever you are doing, especially if finance is involved, in a very professional and business-like manner. When it comes to business, trust yourself first and everyone else afterwards.”

MARRIAGE GIM: “How did you meet your husband?”

GM: “At Wolga beach, Essequibo River (two minutes from where the resort is located) in 1976.”

GIM: “For how long have you been married?”

GM: “19 years.”

GIM: “Could you, kindly, recall his proposal to you?”

GM: “When he proposed, he said ‘I will not ask you again’, because he knew of my previous experience when I was asked several times and never said ‘yes’.”

GIM: “How supportive has he been regarding your business ventures?”

GM: “He is very supportive, but critical at the same time. He has the expertise to advise what I should get into and what I shouldn’t.

Invariably, he is right but I don’t always listen to him.

In fact, he encouraged me to get back into the ‘Link Show’ production in 2009, after I left The Theatre Company in 2002.

The shows had come to a halt and many of the actors were behind me to get involved again. With his encouragement, I did that for the next eight productions,which led to ‘Link Show 32’.”

GIM: “What do you admire the most about your husband?”

GM: He is a stickler for discipline and leaves no room for excuses.”

GIM: “For young married couples, what would you say is key to sustaining a long-lasting and satisfying marriage?”

GM: “Understanding each other and learning to adapt to each other’s needs. Find something to do that might become a ritual. Like, my husband cooks every Friday evening (except when we are invited out) and we have a romantic dinner with candle lights et al on our balcony surrounded by foliage. He is a gourmet cook. We still adhere to it in this our 19th year of marriage.”

Youth Theatre workshop children’07- graduation

GIM: “You have travelled extensively in and out of Guyana.

With that said, have you ever longed to live in any other part of the world? And what keeps you so grounded here?”

GM: Before I ever embarked to travel overseas, I had seen a lot of Guyana’s interior and loved it. I travelled extensively and have seen many beautiful and lovely places, but home is always where the heart is. I am sorry my husband changed his mind about retiring in the Essequibo River. I would have loved to finally settle there, but then my involvement in the theatre would have been curtailed.”

GIM: “What advice would you give to women wanting to set up their own business?”

GM: “Be confident in what you want, and then execute it efficiently.”

LOOKING AHEAD GIM: “What are some of the plans in the pipeline for your businesses?”

GM: “Television. I started a new local sitcom called ‘Days like Dese’.

It is currently being aired weekly, with a new episode per month.

I am hoping to be able to have my own studio in order to produce a new episode per week.”

GIM: “Is there a philosophy that you live by?”

GM: “Always lend a helping hand to whoever needs it. Don’t be afraid to dream because they just might come through.”

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Guyana Inc.

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IMPORT - EXPORT ANALYSIS

Has Guyana landed in an unfavourable balance?

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For example, if a country is exporting more than it imports, this signals that the economy is robust, self-sufficient and healthy. Where more exports are going out of a country, it means more foreign currency is going into the nation’s pockets while also signaling an increase in employment to ensure the surplus in exports.

But when an economy is importing more than it exports, it can mean that more money is leaving the nation’s reserves to pay for these imports and this can lead to the devaluation of the dollar. It also puts a strain on the economy, especially if these imports are largely for things which do not promote productivity in booming sectors, such as equipment and machines for the gold industry.

Therefore, imports, as important as they are, could signal that the economy is in an unfavourable balance. So where does Guyana stand?

According to statistics, Guyana ran a merchandise trade deficit (when imports exceed exports) of US$15.6 Million in February 2017. This represents a greater deficit of US$9.4 Million relative to February 2016. In February 2016, the deficit was US$6.2 Million.

Domestic exports (exports of locally produced goods) fell by US$2.7 Million to US$97.5 Million in February 2017, a decrease of 2.7 percent compared to February 2016. Exports in February 2016 were US$100.2 Million.

Imports, on the contrary, increased by US$6.8 Million or 6.4 percent in February 2017 to US$113.1 Million relative to February 2016. In February 2016, imports were US$106.4 Million.

Guyana Inc.

The State of Revenue Earners

•

xports and imports are crucial pillars in the structure of an economy.

These two categories can tell you many things about the well-being of a country.

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The booming mining and quarrying and services sectors seem to have Guyana on target to reach the 3.8 percent growth rate.

However, recent activities have led some skeptics to strongly conclude that it would have to be revised downwards. At the end of the half year, the figure was reduced .

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Exports

Gold exports rose by US$3.3 Million or 5.2 percent to US$66.1 Million in February 2017 over February 2016 gold exports of US$62.8 Million. Relative to February 2016, exports from the Guyana Gold Board and Guyana Goldfields increased by 117.7 percent and 16.5 percent respectively, and decreased by 44.6 percent and 29.4 percent for Troy Resources and other dealers respectively.

Exportation of diamonds, fish, fish byproducts and bottled rum and spirits also increased in February 2017 compared to February 2016. Diamond exports grew the strongest by US$2.4 Million or 289 percent to US$3.3 Million, whereas fish and its byproducts and bottled rum and spirits grew by 55.5 percent and 2.6 percent respectively.

Bauxite, shrimp and prawns, on the other hand, decreased by 10.7 percent, 12.8 percent and 41.8 percent respectively.

Imports

Of the three categories of imports, only intermediate imports increased in February 2017 by US$1.7 Million or 29.8 percent relative to February 2016. The increase was largely driven by the growth in importation of chemicals of US$7.9 Million or 273.3 percent.

Consumption and capital imports decreased by 5.5 percent and 26 percent respectively. For consumption imports, all of the goods except food for final consumption and motor cars decreased. For capital goods, only mining machinery recorded an increase of 51.2 percent in February 2017 relative to February 2016.

Growth

For the time being, the Guyana Government has projected the growth rate (the percentage at which the nation’s revenues, sectorial production and exports grow) to be a 3.8 target. This is ambitious, some might argue, as last year it was projected that the economy would grow to 3.4 percent but barely made it to 3.3 percent.

In February 2017, 3,669 tonnes of sugar was produced compared with 5,151 tonnes in February 2016. Production was affected by rainfall, strike actions which resulted in some workers being off the job, and suspended production at one estate.

• Rice production for February 2017 reached 1,558.8 tonnes, compared to zero tonnes in February 2016. No production takes place in January and February since sowing normally takes place in these months. Production for 2017 is expected to increase by 10.3 percent; with the first crop already on target.

• Forestry production for February 2017 amounted to 21,900 cubic metres compared with 25,319 cubic metres in February 2016.

• Bauxite production for February 2017 was 103,606 tonnes compared to 136,377 tonnes in February 2016.

Year-to-date production is 229,441 tonnes compared to 280,901 tonnes produced in 2016, a decline of 18.3 percent. Low production in the first two months was due to low demand.

Nevertheless, this industry is expected to expand in 2017 as both demand and prices are expected to rise.

• Gold production for February 2017 totaled 63,089 ounces compared to 58,485 ounces achieved in February 2016. This brings the year-to-date total to 108,048 ounces compared to 94,432 in 2016. The main driver of growth for 2017 is the small and medium sized producers whose declarations rose significantly, compared to a fall in declarations for the two foreign companies. Rising gold prices is partly responsible for the higher declarations from the small and medium sized miners.

A quick glance at the aforementioned reveals that four of the five industries are not performing well. If this trend continues, it is likely that the growth rate of the economy for 2017 will not meet the target set out by the Government.

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Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics…

The hidden facts about the gold sector

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panning some 83,000 square kilometers, Guyana continues to standout within the South American and Caribbean regions as one of the gold-rich envies of the world.

Already, the sector has been showing unprecedented production and has even buttressed the nation in the soil of economic growth for over two consecutive years.

In fact, national statistics show an upward trend in the declaration of gold in the sector.

According to Guyana’s Bureau of Statistics, the latest data on gold production showed that there was a total declaration of 63,089 ounces for February alone, a massive increase from 58,485 ounces which was attained during the same month last year.

While investors are indeed in their right to be enthralled by this booming sector and its rich potential, there are some worrying factors which statistics do hide.

In this piece, we shall highlight just a few.

CORRUPTION/ POOR MONITORING Natural Resources sectors across the world are notorious for attracting elements of corruption, and in Guyana’s case, the situation is no different. Guyana’s authorities and the relevant officials within the sector have been grappling with the various forms of corruption taking place, with the most worrying being smuggling.

Guyana’s mining sector abounds with a large number of small and medium scale producers. But the desire to have a higher price for their valuable yellow metal leads to miners being lured over Guyana’s borders into neighbouring markets like Suriname, Venezuela and Brazil. Most do this to also avoid paying the required seven percent royalties to the state.

There have also been instances of collusion to defraud the state between miners and officials who are expected to monitor the system. Additionally, there are reported incidents in the local media of gold being smuggled by the millions to foreign borders. Unfortunately, the investigations into these incidents remain at a standstill.

But corrupt acts within the sector are just one of the many problems affecting this sector.

Due to the large scale of mining in Guyana’s interior region, one of the biggest problems facing the authorities of the day is the lack of adequate manpower to patrol the sector. This has resulted in a constant flouting of mining regulations. Guyana’s Forestry Commission, Guyana’s Miners Association and even the Government have bemoaned the fact that resources to properly patrol and keep those within the sector in line are limited. To date, Guyana is still unaware of how much it has been losing in this sector, in terms of revenue, to other neighbouring states.

NON-COMPLIANCE Non-compliance by miners to regulations remains one of the biggest challenges facing mining administrations.

The fact that mining activity in Guyana is geographically scattered over vast, mostly uninhabited, heavily-forested territory creates its own set of difficulties. Efforts to increase compliance levels may be beneficial if the causes of non-compliance among small miners are differentiated.

These distinctions are important in designing education and enforcement tactics. Non-compliance can be due to

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or facilitated by four conditions: -- total or considerable ignorance of the laws; --total or considerable disregard for the laws, even though the miner is aware of the laws; --total or considerable ignorance of the harmful effects to oneself, to others, and to the environment when the unlawful action is practiced; and -- total or considerable disregard for the harmful effects to oneself, to others, and to the environment when the unlawful action is practiced, even though the miner is aware of the consequences.

The limiting factor to the Guyana Geology and Traditional Sectors

up, thereby leaving government to revise the growth rate upward to 3.3 percent. In fact, gold’s performance is even responsible for Government projecting a rather bold 3.8 percent growth rate for 2017.

Once again, this is testimony that the gold sector, in particular, is doing a fantastic job. But if we were to remove the production figures of the gold sector, what picture would be before us regarding the health of Guyana’s other traditional revenue earners?

The production figures of the nation’s other traditional revenue earners such as rice, sugar, timber and bauxite all showed startling declines from 2015 to now

The Production figures for February 2016

Decline in production for January 2017

Sugar

5,151 tonnes

3,669 tonnes

Timber

25,319 cubic metres

21,900 cubic metres

Bauxite

136,377 ounces

103,606 ounces

Mines Commission (GGMC)’s ability to enforce regulations is its manpower and financial resources.

Despite its best intentions, too few officers are on the ground, a situation that has led to sporadic enforcement of the present regulations. With the imminent enactment of more complex mining and environmental regulations, the inadequacy of GGMC’s capacity as a monitoring and enforcement agency must be dealt with urgently.

In the last decade, the industry has introduced new technologies and methods that have ravaged the environment more than previously. Missile dredging, hydraulicking, large earth-moving equipment, and the reported liberal use of mercury by Brazilian miners have placed greater strain on the environment and on regulatory agencies.

ECONOMIC DECLINE The most reputable global organisations, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, have projected a downward decline in growth, not only for the global economy, but for the Caribbean Region as well. As such, Guyana has been caught in the fray.

As mentioned earlier, the outstanding performance of the gold sector is what has supported the economy’s continued positive growth rate from 2015 to now. The gloomy nature of the economy’s performance in 2016 saw government forecasting a 2.6 percent growth rate.

Gold, however, saved the day and pushed the growth rate

with no improvement possible in the near future.

On the surface, one might think that the economy, with its 3.8 percent projected growth rate, is in the clear or is in good standing, but if you are to remove the current production figures of the gold sector, you would be left with a worrying picture. In fact, the nation’s growth rate would not be projected to show an increase but rather a decrease for 2017.

Even though the gold sector has been performing at an outstanding level each month, the Government has not been blindsided by this. It has assured citizens, and even the nation’s investors in this sector, that it is certainly determined to address issues within the industry.

Towards this end, the Government has announced that it will be looking to reform a number of the laws guiding the sector so as to remove loopholes for abuse.

Also completed is a policy paper and a strategic plan of action to strengthen the monitoring and enforcement arms of the industry.

It has also been noted that, of the range of environmental problems in mining, the investigation and implementation of corrective measures to deal with turbid waters have clearly been given priority by the Government.

This is according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission.

In a detailed report, it was noted that clear deadlines were set by which the issues affecting the sector must be resolved.

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Guyana Inc.

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G

uyana and the lobal Community

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ike the daily news, what goes on in the global economy is important to your country’s sustenance and thus will affect how comfortable your life will be today, tomorrow and the next five years from now.

The global economy includes some of the world’s largest importers and exporters of essentials needed on the international trade market. And small, poor, developing countries like Guyana, must always be on the lookout for how prices are shifting and how it can bring in revenue by providing some of what it has to offer on the world market.

Even with the abundance of certain products and raw materials, if the demands by leaders of the World Market like Russia, China and the United States are on a decline, it will mean less money for a country like Guyana.

Take, for example, Guyana’s Forestry Sector. Some five years ago, Guyana’s forestry industry was booming. It was considered one of the most successful and lucrative ventures any local or foreign investor could be a part of.

One of the biggest world leaders that demonstrated a serious interest in Guyana’s forestry sector was China. Guyana’s lush yet exotic species of woods was more than enough to lure some of the biggest logging companies in China, one of which was BaiShanLin Forest Development Inc. Statistics from the Ministry of Finance show that in 2014 Guyana recorded a massive increase in production volumes which was found to be at 530,000 m3.

This represented an increase of 21 percent over production figures in 2013 which was 437,000 m3. Additionally, exports of forest produce in 2014 saw Guyana bringing in revenue to the tune of US$54M. Even this

Even with the abundance of certain products and raw materials, if the demands by leaders of the World Market like Russia, China and the United States are on a decline, it will mean less money for a country like Guyana. was a stark increase by 38 percent over the 2013 value of US$38M. However, by the turn of 2015, a number of developments in the forestry sector led to a sharp decline in export and production figures. One of the major causes has been the decline in the need for Guyana’s logs in China.

As of February last, forestry production amounted to 21,900 cubic metres compared with 25,319 cubic metres in February 2016.

This resulted in production reaching 37,074 cubic metres, year-to-date, compared to 51,052 cubic metres in 2016.

The aforementioned simply goes to show the impact global leaders can have on the economy of nations like Guyana.

With this in mind, it becomes even more important to be mindful of the economic health of nations within the global economy, so that Guyana’s authorities can also begin to do better forecasting about budgeting and finding other avenues to stimulate income for the nation.

Below are a few snapshot points for how Guyana has fared thus far with certain products it needs and exports in the international market.

• Global prices for Guyana’s major traded commodities saw modest increases in February 2017 except for

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sugar and rice.

Compared to February 2016, prices rose for all the commodities, except logs and rice, which declined by 4.1 and 4.4 percent respectively.

Of the commodities, aluminum increased the greatest by 3.9 percent.

This was largely driven by China’s Air Pollution Control regulations implemented to reduce the production of the country’s coal-reliant aluminum, which is among the most carbon intensive in the world and very polluting.

These regulations are putting downward pressure on prices which has continued to rise 21.5 percent year-to-date.

In February 2017, crude oil was priced at US$55.49 per bbl., indicating a modest increase of 1.1 percent.

This was due to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) production being almost unchanged from January, as a slight improvement in compliance was offset by production recovery in Nigeria, which was exempt from the quota.

The free market global price for sugar declined by 0.2 percent in February to US$0.45. Compared to February 2016, however, the price has increased by 52.8 percent.

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For rice, there were decreases in both the 1 and 12 month price change, with a decline of 2.7 percent and 4.4 percent respectively.

• The international gold price rose by 3.5 percent in February. Gold prices have been trending upwards amid geopolitical anxiety and strengthening of the US dollar.

Data, statistics provided by the Ministry of Finance, Bureau of Standards

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Global Developments at a Glance The latest U.S. economic data has been solid, revealing slow but stable growth of the U.S economy. The ISM manufacturing index rose from 56.0 to 57.7 percent in February, indicating that factory activity was picking up, which could also mean GDP growth could accelerate in the first quarter.

In February, The Guardian International Edition warned that Trump’s presidency poses threats to global economy, despite the predicted possible boost to economic growth from his planned infrastructure spending, tax and red

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tape cuts. Key risks include possible disruptions to trade relations, limits on migration; that affects the amount of money foreign workers in the U.S send home, and “confrontational exchanges” between policy makers that could spark swings in currencies and other markets.

For Europe, Brexit may offer an opportunity for the European Union.

The European Union believes it stands a better chance of striking a free trade deal with India after the United Kingdom leaves the Union.

This follows the United Kingdom post-Brexit trade deal with India being threatened by Prime Minister Theresa May’s visa crackdown.

Headline inflation rates have recovered in advanced economies with the bottoming out of commodity prices, but core inflation rates have remained broadly unchanged and generally below inflation targets.

Additionally, inflation picked up in China as capacity cuts and higher commodity prices have pushed producer price inflation to positive territory after more than four years of deflation.

Keeping up with the developing world will require a number of economic shifts and changes in the way business is done in Guyana. One transformational move that is going to be needed is diversification. For example, it has been over 50 years, and Guyana’s economy remains standing on six traditional sectors (sugar, rice, bauxite, timber, gold and manufacturing) for its upkeep. The performance, to date, in most of these sectors, shows clearly that the time has come for diversification as they have indeed grown weary.

In the sugar industry, for example, the signs are clear that Guyana must move towards the scaling down of production for international exportation and place its emphasis on supplying the domestic demands.

Guyana can certainly take a page out of the books of countries like Belize, which has diversified its sugar industry in many ways, such as large scale ethanol production and the refinement of white sugar among other products.

These changes, which are needed to keep up with the global community, will not happen overnight. But the efforts, however, must be made now, lest the nation is left behind in the dark ages.

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Business Industry:

The Services Sector Most have heard of the intriguing impact the rice, sugar and gold sectors have had on the economy.

But little recognition is ever given to the Services Sector.

This sector happens to be one of the largest in the Guyanese economy. It is even argued that it is perhaps the most loyal when it comes to delivering on tax payments.

But before delving into hardcore statistics, it is important to first understand that the services sector is an extremely large field. You would be surprised to learn that most of the forms of businesses you are familiar with are a part of this sector.

When you think of the clubs and hotels in Guyana, the laundry stores, the taxi and minibus services, the insurance companies, the car dealerships, the shipping companies, the recycling entities, the consultancy companies and even the fashion, security and machinery subsectors; they all fall under the services sector umbrella.

According to the 2015 Bank of Guyana Report, the services sector, which accounts for more than half of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), recorded a growth of 2.3 percent relative to 5.5 percent in 2014.

The services sector in Guyana is also one of the largest employers of labour, and companies in this realm also have a noted pattern of seeking expansion. This is the case with enterprises such as Church’s Chicken and Pizza Hut. These companies have expanded by leaps and bounds while providing employment for a wide cross section of Guyana’s labour force.

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This booming sector has also received praises for its many successes in reports from various established institutions.

Take the Guyana Private Sector Assessment Report (PSAR) for example, which was conducted by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

The report says that in Guyana, the manufacturing and the services sectors are significantly impacted by upturns and downturns in aggregate demand.

It said, “Guyana’s largest economic sector, as in other countries in the region, is services. About two-thirds of valueadded GDP is accounted for by the delivery of the services that are necessary for the functioning of the economy. Wholesale and retail trade is the largest services subsector, and grew by 35.8 percent in real terms in 2008-12. Transportation and storage is the second-largest services subsector.”

The report went on to state that this is consistent with the fact that Guyana’s small economy makes industrial production for domestic consumption very expensive; this means that as the economy expands, demand is satisfied by increasing imports, which are delivered through retail and transportation services. Construction is the third largest services subsector.

The report noted that, “Construction growth, although modest in 2008-12, accelerated in 2013 as a result of the investment of profits from the mining sector. Financial services, although accounting for only a small share of total value added in the economy, has experienced significant growth (56 percent real growth in 2008-12), confirming that the sector is expanding as the economy grows.”

Furthermore, the report stated that information and communications technology and business-process outsourcing are also expanding. In the past few years, the report said that Guyana has begun to host call centres that take advantage of the country’s low labour costs and its educated workforce whose first language is English. It also stated that the services sector has received the most credit

from commercial banks in 2012, followed by manufacturing, agriculture and mining.

BANK OF GUYANA Monitoring the performance of the services sector in Guyana is a number of agencies, one of which is the Central Bank.

The Governor of the Bank, Dr. Gobind Ganga, has indicated to the Guyana Inc. Magazine that the sector is a large and important one. He emphasized that dips in this industry could signal, from time to time, that economic challenges are ahead and that certain decisions are required to stimulate activity.

Ganga also pointed out that the Bank’s annual reports also keep a record of the services sector and the performance of its other subsectors.

According to the 2015 Bank of Guyana Report, the services sector, which accounts for more than half of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), recorded a growth of 2.3 percent relative to 5.5 percent in 2014.

This outcome was largely due to an increase in activities of the transportation and storage, financial and insurance, information and communication, real estate and other services by 13.6 percent, 8.1 percent, 5.5 percent, 2.5 percent, and 1.7 percent respectively.

There were also increases in electricity and water, education, public administration and health and social services.

The transportation and storage sector expanded by 13.6 percent. This was from a 13.7 percent growth in 2014. The growth was due largely to increased mobility and activities in the transport industry (domestic air and ferry passenger services).

Financial and insurance activities expanded by 8.1 percent from 0.8 percent at the end of 2014. This performance was attributed to improvement in access to financial services and increased private sector credit of 6.2 percent.

The information and communication sector grew 5.5 percent compared to 3.8 percent in 2014, stemming from the continuous upgrading of services in the telecommunication industry. Real estate activities grew by 2.5 percent after an expansion of 6.0 percent in 2014 as a result of the growing housing market. Other service activities grew by 1.7 percent compared with a 4.0 percent growth in 2014, on account of increased tourism and other-service related activities.

The wholesale and retail industry fell by 0.6 percent compared to a 3.0 percent decline in 2014, attributed to lower consumption spending in the economy coupled with lower imports for consumption, intermediate and capital goods.

Furthermore, the 2016 Bank of Guyana Report indicated that the services sector grew by 0.8 percent relative to a 4.8 percent growth in 2015. This outcome was due to increased

activities of financial and insurance, transportation, storage and other services by 2.5 percent, 1.1 percent and 5.7 percent respectively.

However, wholesale and retail trade, which accounts for more than one-tenths of GDP, contracted by 1.8 percent. Financial and insurance activities increased by 2.5 percent from a 7.5 percent growth at the end of 2015. This performance reflected slower growth of private sector credit of 1.7 percent relative to a 6.2 percent growth at the end of 2015.

The services sector is expected to grow by 3.0 percent by the end of 2017 due to greater activities in financial and insurance, transportation and storage and wholesale and retail trade by 5.8 percent, 3.9 percent and 2.7 percent respectively. The construction industry is expected to grow by 13.5 percent.

INCENTIVES According to the Guyana Office for Investment’s website, fiscal incentives are not available for all subsectors that fall under the Services Sector. However, incentives are available to encourage investment in the following subsectors:

• Medical Subsector

Exemption of Duty and Value Added Tax (VAT) on all equipment and material needed for building.

• Funeral Homes

Such investments received a waiver on Duty and VAT on hearses.

• Education

Medical Schools under this subsector are offered exemption on Duty and VAT of all equipment and material needed to establish and operate.

• Dock Yard and Ship Building

Exemption of Duty and Taxes are available for the operation of dry docking facilities.

• Recycling

Exemption of Duty and VAT on all machinery and equipment used in this subsector.

• Solid Waste Collectors

Waivers of Duty and Taxes on some vehicles and equipment.

• Machining

Waiver of Duty and Taxes on all machinery and equipment.

• Recording Studios (Music)

Waivers of Duty and Taxes on equipment and material.

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Edition 27

Guyana Inc.

27

THE

Dangers

I

of Treating Employees as Family

t is a commonly held belief that employees who are well-treated are more productive and will tend to view the company almost as if it were their own, and so, seek the company’s best interests.

This belief is bolstered by many academic studies that have identified a correlation between the benefits provided to employees and their overall work performance. Now, it is certainly not our intention to suggest that employers should treat employees badly or that neglecting the welfare of employees will not affect their productivity.

There are, however, times when the good intentions of owners can backfire and actually hurt the company, and this is particularly the case with small enterprises.

The writer had conducted an investigation into a company, and in the course of that investigation, the danger of treating employees as family was revealed in a startling light.

This was a small company that had been in existence for approximately 20 years. The company was started by the owner who worked in the business. As time progressed, the owner identified an employee who he believed had the potential to develop and so he nurtured him.

The owner knew the young man’s family and so he took a special interest in his development, going beyond simply ensuring that he received training. He began to treat the young man like family.

Over the many years that the young man worked in the company, he was included in functions that the owner had at his home. Also, when the owner had personal activities involving his friends, he would invite the young man to join him.

Unfortunately, after several years, the owner began to suspect that he was losing revenue in a particular area and began an investigation, which later confirmed his suspicion.

The investigation began to point in the direction of the favoured young man. Eventually, the young man confessed that, in collaboration with someone else, he had been diverting income that would usually come to the owner. He had been doing so for about two years.

There is clearly a danger in business owners literally treating employees as family and the danger can arise because an employee sees the physical rewards that the owner has reaped from his investment and hard work in the company.

The employee sees the new cars, the nice home, possibly the vacation home and hears about the vacations that the owner took abroad. Eventually, some employees form the view that the owner has reaped these rewards because of their (the employees’) hard work.

Indeed, to some extent, that would be true because a business needs all of its employees to work hard and deliver excellent customer service if that business is to grow.

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By Brian Ramsey – Amalgamated Security Often, however, the employee does not take into consideration the financial risks that the owner took in starting the business; he does not consider the long hours that the owner would have undertaken to grow the business.

The employee only sees the rewards that the owner is now getting and begins to form the view that he should get some of those rewards. Now, a good owner would undoubtedly reward longserving and hard-working employees, possibly with salary increases, more vacation time and sometimes even overlooking small foibles and mistakes.

However, notwithstanding these types of rewards, some employees begin to believe that they deserve more, especially in the situations where they are exposed to aspects of the owner’s personal life. This may result in temptation to steal or to siphon income into their pockets.

The main point is that all owners should treat their employees well, and with long-serving employees who have a good understanding of the company, the owner can discuss the business with them and draw suggestions from them.

Owners, however, should not draw employees into their personal life and should not expose them to the activities of their family and friends. Owners should definitely avoid exhibiting a flashy lifestyle in the view of their employees.

In closing, we wish to recount the experience of the writer as a young man with only a few years of experience in the business world.

The writer often had to deal with an older man who owned several businesses and was a multi-millionaire.

The businessman and the writer would often engage in negotiations and overtime a rapport developed where the businessman would give advice and provide insights into his personal thinking and business philosophy. During one discussion, the businessman revealed that he owned several Rolex watches, but for his day-to-day work activities he wore a Timex and that he always drove a used car, a well-maintained car, but a used one nevertheless.

Although he enjoyed his wealth, taking vacations whenever he wanted to all parts of the world, staying in luxury hotels and using it in ways that benefited his family, the businessman explained that he operated as a common man among his employees so as not to build resentment and envy, nor make himself a target for those who only saw the trappings of wealth and would conspire to obtain some of that wealth from him.

About the Author Brian Ramsey has a B.A. in Accounting & Management, along with an M.B.A. in Finance and over 29 years in the Caribbean security field. He is the Regional Development Director for Amalgamated Security Services Limited which operates in Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Antigua, Barbados, St. Lucia and Guyana. He can be contacted at bramsey@assl.com.

Economic Focus:

Guyana’s Foreign Exchange Market F

oreign exchange is a vital process in any country’s fiscal landscape.

Imagine for a minute that you have a business operating in Guyana, but you need to purchase some important manufacturing materials in the USA. To carry out that transaction with the USA, you would need to purchase US dollars. It makes the process easier while promoting trade at an international level.

The situation is similar at the national level. When countries need to purchase imports that are needed, it is required that they have different currencies in their system in order to effect their purchases from different parts of the world.

In Guyana’s case, for example, the Government would need foreign currency to pay for industrial supplies that are needed on a vast scale for the mining and agriculture sector.

Depending on where the purchases have to be made, it would need to have different currencies to make the process easier.

With the aforementioned in mind, it is crucial for the business sector and the Government at large to pay attention to the behaviour of the foreign exchange market, as fluctuations can disrupt the flow of trade and commerce.

While some local financial analysts have detected that there were fluctuations in the exchange rate, specifically a decline in the availability of US dollars, the effect on businesses has been minimal.

Managing the Foreign Exchange Market in Guyana in order to ensure its stability is the Bank of Guyana.

According to its latest statistical report, the total volume of foreign exchange transactions increased by 11.8 percent to US$6,926.2 Million. It said that there was a net purchase of US$77.6 Million.

The Bank noted that the market was impacted by increases in transactions in most of its segments. Money transfer transactions were valued at US$186.9 Million or 27.7 percent below 2015 levels. Furthermore, higher net purchases caused the Guyana dollar to remain stable against the United States dollar at GYD$206.50.

Total foreign currency transactions increased by 11.8 percent to US$6,926.2 Million in 2016 from US$6,194.2 Million in 2015. Purchases and sales in the market were US$3,501.9 Million and US$3,424.3 Million respectively.

Net purchases were US$77.6 Million in 2016 compared with net purchases of US$93.0 Million in 2015.

The licensed bank and non-bank cambios, which accounted for 44.4 percent of the total volumes, recorded a 9.2 percent increase in turnover to US$3,108.6 Million.

The combined transactions of the six bank cambios were US$3,002.4 Million, an increase of US$253.9 Million or 9.2 percent over the 2015 level.

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Interbank transactions totaled US$25.1 Million, a decrease of US$50.8 Million or 66.9 percent from the US$75.9 Million for the preceding year. The thirteen non-bank cambios’ transactions amounted to US$106.2 Million, an increase of US$8.6 Million or 8.8 percent.

Non-bank cambios’ market share remained negligible at 3.5 percent. Hard currency transactions conducted at the Bank of Guyana totaled US$922.8 Million, an increase of US$107.1 Million or 13.1 percent over the previous year.

Purchases and sales were US$460.3 Million and US$462.5 Million respectively.

This represented an increase in receipts of US$87.5 Million or 23.5 percent. The Bank also recorded an increase in net hard currency outflows of US$19.6 Million or 4.4 percent. Fuel imports constituted 56.6 percent of total payments.

The Bank sold US$28.2 Million to commercial banks, an increase of US$22 Million over the 2015 level. The Banks’ share of all transactions declined marginally to 13.3 percent from 13.2 percent in 2015.

The balances on approved foreign currency accounts increased by 19.1 percent to US$2,683.4 Million. The major category of activities included nonresident transactions, mining and dredging, insurance/finance, fishery, rice and shipping. The debits and credits to these accounts totaled US$1,339.3 Million and US$1,344.1 Million respectively, compared with the previous year’s amounts of US$1,123.7 Million and US$1,130.0 Million respectively. The Bank approved applications for eleven new foreign currency accounts in 2016.

The Exchange Rates The weighted mid-rate, based on the rates of the three largest banks’ turnover, remained stable at GYD$206.50 at the end of 2016. The un-weighted mid-rate using the same method depreciated by 0.12 percent to GYD$205.75 compared with GYD$205.50 in 2015. The commercial banks and non-bank cambios’ average buying and selling rates were higher during the review period. The commercial banks’ cambios’ average buying and selling rates were GYD$207.21 and GYD$209.74 compared to GYD$206.67 and GYD$209.49 respectively in 2015. The non-bank cambios’ average buying and selling rates were GYD$206.40 and GYD$208.04 from GYD$205.42 and GYD$208.68 respectively.

The disparity between the buying rates of the bank and non-bank cambios contracted from GYD$1.25 to GYD$0.81 in 2016. The difference in the selling rates was higher at GYD$1.70 from GYD$0.81 in 2015. The average market spread was GYD$2.08 compared with GYD$3.04 in 2015.

The bank and non-bank spreads were lower at GYD$2.53

and GYD$1.64 from GYD$2.83 and GYD$3.26 respectively in the previous year. In the cambio market, the majority of foreign currency transactions involved the United States dollar accounting for 96.1 percent of the total trades. The Canadian Dollar, Pound Sterling and Euro each held 1.6 percent, 1.5 percent, and 0.8 percent respectively of the market shares.

CARICOM Currencies The CARICOM currencies traded on the market increased to US$24.4 Million or 20.8 percent in 2016.

The main currencies transacted on the market were the Barbados dollar, Trinidad & Tobago dollar and the Eastern Caribbean dollar. The Barbados dollar comprised US$12.0 Million or 49.2 percent of the overall regional volume. The Trinidad & Tobago dollar and Eastern Caribbean dollar accounted for US$8.9 Million or 36.5 percent and US$3.5 Million or 14.3 percent respectively.

The exchanges rates of the Barbados and Eastern Caribbean dollars remained fixed against the US dollar.

The Trinidad & Tobago currency depreciated against the US dollar by 5.1 percent to TT$6.75, while the Jamaican dollar depreciated by 6.7 percent to J$127.98.

Region Three held 14.8 percent, and Region Ten totaled 5.7 percent. The remaining six Regions accounted for 30.1 percent. The aggregated value of transfers by money transfer entities amounted to US$186.9 Million, 27.6 percent over the last year. Inbound and outbound transactions were US$134.5 Million and US$52.4 Million respectively. The highest volume of transfers occurred in the months of April, July and December 2016.

Outlook for 2017 The exchange rate of the Guyana dollar to the US dollar is expected to remain relatively stable due to a net supply of foreign exchange to the market as a result of an improved balance of payment position.

The Bank is projecting purchases of US$406.4 Million from the Guyana Gold Board and GUYSUCO. Sales to accommodate imports and debt servicing are projected at US$603.9 Million. Foreign exchange flows to the market are expected to adequately cover imports and support a stable exchange rate.

Statistics and data provided by Central Bank and Ministry of Finance

Money Transfer Activities The Bank licensed five new agencies for a total number of certified agents of 223. Of the ten Administrative Regions in Guyana, Region Four held 38.9 percent of the total registered agents, Region Six held 20.5 percent,

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Guyana Inc.

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‘The Garage’

Guyana’s first Drive-In Bar & Grill - A convenient answer to dining and entertainment

E

very now and then, we develop a craving for a great spot which includes high quality entertainment, finger-licking food, an appealing ambience and space for parking. Rarely are there establishments which provide all of these elements in one wonderful package.

Luckily, there is ‘The Garage – Drive-In Bar and Grill’ located on Aubrey Barker Road, South Ruimveldt Gardens, between Jackson Street and Plaza Bridge.

The establishment, commonly referred to as ‘The Garage’, is owned by Mr.Estwick Odonio Northe Jnr. and was opened three years ago as a response to persons who demanded a hangout spot which caters for parking.

Northe explained that this was the reason why a spacious empty lot, of approximately 18,450 square feet, was used. He said that customers can actually hang out while seeing their vehicle safe in the compound, instead of parking on the road. This led to Northe choosing the name, “The Garage” for the entity.

He said that The Garage is Guyana’s first drivein bar and grill with the convenience of parking on the premises where persons have the option of dining in an open-air atmosphere on park-like benches with umbrellas and built-in phone chargers. Customers also have waiters and waitresses serving their tables, eliminating the need to leave the comfort of their seat.

The option is there for persons to sit under a garagelike facility and be entertained by a number of guest Disc Jockeys (DJs) and entertainers. If this does not tickle your fancy, the businessman said that customers can catch up on the latest sports action on the 12 x 8 feet projector screen. On occasions, The Garage features stage performances by the Chow Pow Comedy Jam.

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Delicacies at this unique entertainment spot include freshly cooked creole dishes and meats, prepared on the spot in front of customers. This is done on the bar’s large Brazilian-style grill, suitable for grill-side dining.

The Garage’s menu includes barbequed chicken, barbequed pork, grilled steak, fish and chips, fried chicken, black pudding, souse, cook-up rice, fried rice and chowmein among other things.

Besides the Comedy Jam, the hangout spot would have its Karaoke Nights every Tuesday and Thursday.

Movie Night is on Monday and Guest DJ Nights are on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Moreover, persons who believe that they have an event in mind that would suit the location can rent it to do so.

Knowing all of this is fine and dandy but it is also interesting to note the background story of this fine establishment.

Northe is the son of Estwick Northe Snr. and Hazeline Northe. He explained that, as a child, his mother would take him to church and ensured that he and his brother attended afterschool lessons.

“I grew up in the family business as my father owned and controlled a supermarket called N.P. Supermarket and Snackette and N.P. Fry Chicken on Robb Street. So when I came home, I would have to take part in selling at the shop and assisting with things concerning the business.”

Northe travelled a lot as a child; something he loves to do even today because it provides him with a broad scope of the outside world. He advised that persons should take trips here and there to broaden their horizon on life and what it has to offer. He got involved in marketing, based on the love he developed for psychology and human behavioural patterns.

The businessman is a former student of the Saint Stanislaus College and the University of Guyana where he graduated with a Degree with Honours in Business Management.

In an exclusive interview with the Guyana Inc. Magazine, the industrious entrepreneur shares more about his business and lifestyle.

Guyana Inc. Magazine (GIM): “What does your business offer and what are some of the processes involved in putting together your menu for the day or week along with hosting events?”

Estwick Northe (EN): “The process involved in putting together the daily or weekly menu starts from choosing the right suppliers of meat and vegetables while making sure they are always fresh and up to standard. If we find that they are lacking in some way, we would replace them

with a better supplier. Besides offering a wide range of food every day, we also take in reviews and feedback from customers on what they would like to have and try our best to meet their needs through our delivery service etc.”

GIM: “What are some of your thoughts on business development in Guyana?”

EN: “I think Guyana is developing rapidly and more local food persons here need to come out and create local franchises instead of depending on overseas ones. We have everything here that you can think about, in terms of raw materials, so we need to get busy and create our own taste, and one day, a Guyanese food franchise which can be one of the leading food franchises in other parts of the world.”

GIM: “What challenges did you encounter in starting your business and how did you overcome them?”

EN: “The challenges I faced setting up business in Guyana are what most business people face here and that would be the slow processing of documents and permits and so forth in order for your business to be legitimate. Guyana needs to be more business friendly and oriented which would encourage more small businesses with great ideas to feel more comfortable in starting up and not like it’s a hard task. For example, some people I spoke to don’t even know about The Small Business Bureau of Guyana and the possibility of acquiring business loans with less pay back percentages than the banks, so I think this should be promoted more. I overcame these challenges by keeping the faith and being patient and strong.”

GIM: “How important is customer service to you and the performance of your business?”

EN: “Customer service is the most important tool in business

GIM: EN:

GIM: EN:

GIM: EN:

GIM: EN:

because your business exists solely because of the customer. And the performance of the business needs to take this aspect very seriously. The staff must understand that the same money the customer spends on food ends up in their paycheck so they must treat them well.”

“What plans do you have for your business in the future?”

“I plan to develop The Garage more and more, which I do every year, and maybe install a play area for children and a swimming pool.”

“What do you do in your spare time?”

“In my spare time I hang out with friends, travel, go to the gym, search for business ventures and spend time with my partner.”

“How do you balance finding time for your health and wellbeing and the time your business requires?”

“Being a business owner is quite time consuming but your health is important. You must find time for exercise, having a good diet and also relaxation, for that helps clear the mind as well.”

“How does your business differ from those of a similar nature? What different do you bring to the table?”

“The difference, I would say, is the core competence that my team and I possess. For example, when we operate our mobile units and provide food at different events, like Cricket at the National Stadium, people know that they can expect freshly prepared food right in front of their eyes and not something that was cooked a while ago and was already put in a box just sitting there. Also, the friendliness of The Garage’s staff shows because some customers know them by name. I think that is why people would always choose The Garage’s booth at events like GuyExpo and other big events.

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Edition 27

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MAKING THE BUSINESS CASE FOR TRUST

Presented By Rosh Khan, MD

Trust is more than a nice-to-have, soft, social virtue. It is a hard-edged economic driver.

Trust is a Learnable Leadership Skill

Trust - more than Euros, Yen, or Dollars - is the currency of the new, global economy.

Trust, the verb, is a competency — a leadership skill that can be developed.

It is a learnable and measurable skill that makes organizations more profitable, people more promotable, and relationships more energizing. The good news is that there is a road map to establishing trust on every level, building character and competence, enhancing credibility, and creating leadership that inspires confidence.

The mistake our leaders make – whether in the public sector, private sector, or civil society – is that they don’t often think about trust in economic terms, much less talk about it or implement systems based on it.

When we look around, we see teams, organizations, and institutions that are mired in conflict. We see a lack of collaboration, cooperation, and communication. This doesn’t happen overnight. It stems from something as fundamental as the lack of trust. And the ripple effect can be felt throughout our entire country.

Some may argue that trust should be a given – a character trait we should all strive for.

But perhaps that isn’t enough. By shifting the focus and framing trust in economic terms, one might establish a new appreciation for the concept.

7 Low-Trust Organizational Taxes™

At its simplest level, trust will always affect two measurable outcomes – speed and cost.

Let’s talk about the 7 Low-Trust Organizational Taxes. When trust decreases: speed decreases and cost increases. When trust is low, relationships suffer, production is sluggish, customer retention erodes, employee turnover increases, stocks plummet and the costs are enormous.

Locally, if we look at the recent Parking Meter Saga, we saw a surge in distrust towards the relevant authorities. The economic effects on the city of Georgetown were devastating. Had the situation been approached in a trust-first manner, through a series of consultations – “seeking first to understand, then to be understood” – we may have had a very different outcome.

Once we understand the hard, measurable economics of trust, it’s like putting on a new pair of glasses. Everywhere we look, we can see quantifiable impact. If we have a low-trust organization, we’re paying a tax. While these taxes may not conveniently show up on our income statement as “trust taxes,” they’re still there, disguised as other problems.

When trust goes down, speed goes down and cost goes up. This creates a Trust Tax™.

When trust goes up, speed goes up and cost goes down. This creates a Trust Dividend™.

It’s that simple, that predictable.

3 BIG IDEAS ABOUT TRUST Trust is a Measurable Economic Driver High trust increases speed and reduces cost in all relationships, interactions, and transactions. High trust also increases value – value to shareholders and value to customers.

The data supporting this is compelling.

In a Watson Wyatt 2002 study, hightrust organizations outperformed low-trust organizations in total return to shareholders by 286 percent. High-trust organizations also consistently create and deliver more value to their customers through accelerated growth, enhanced innovation, improved collaboration, stronger partnering, better execution, and heightened loyalty.

This customer value, in turn, creates more value for other key stakeholders. Look at what’s happening in our financial markets today, where there’s a crisis of trust at its core.

In reality, trust not only makes the markets work—trust makes the world go ‘round.

Take away trust, and everything grinds to a halt.

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Trust is the #1 Competency of Leaders Today Leadership can also be defined as “getting results in a way that inspires trust.”

The first job of any leader is to inspire trust; the second job is to extend it. Extending trust is the behaviour that separates leaders from managers. The vast majority of managers are better at managing than they are at leading.

As a result, most organizations today— business, government, and education—are “over managed” and “under led.”

Real leadership doesn’t happen without followers, and people don’t follow managers they don’t trust. Managers are not trusted when they’re not credible or when they behave in ways that dilute trust.

So how do we fix this leadership vacuum?

It all comes back to the credibility and behaviour of the individual. When a person is not credible, no amount of “take charge bravado” will compensate for their lack of credibility.

We feel this lack of credibility even with those who are “perfect on paper” – hitting all their KPI’s – but yet something feels amiss. It stems from the lack of trust, often represented in what we might describe with our Guyanese creole as, “meh spirit ain tek he.”

The first job of any leader is to inspire trust; the second job is to extend it. Extending trust is the behaviour that separates leaders from managers.

Once we know where and what to look for, we see them everywhere: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Redundancy : Redundancy is unnecessary duplication. A costly redundancy tax is often paid in excessive organizational hierarchy, layers of management and overlapping structures designed to ensure control.

Bureaucracy: Bureaucracy includes complex and cumbersome rules, regulations, policies, procedures and processes.

Politics: Office politics divide a culture against itself. The result is wasted time, talent, energy, and money. In addition, they poison company cultures, derail strategies and sabotage initiatives, relationships and careers.

Disengagement: Disengagement occurs when people put in enough effort to avoid getting fired but don’t contribute their talent, creativity, energy or passion.

(In the USA, Gallup’s research puts a price tag of $250 - $300 Billion a year on the cost of disengagement.)

Turnover: Employee turnover represents a huge cost, and in lowtrust companies, turnover is in excess of the industry standard – particularly of the people you least want to lose.

Performers like to be trusted and they like to work in high-trust environments.

Churn: Churn is the turnover of stakeholders other than employees.

When trust inside an organization is low, it gets perpetuated in interactions in the marketplace, causing great turnover among customers, suppliers, distributors and investors. Studies indicate the cost of acquiring a new customer versus keeping an existing one is as much as 500 percent.

Fraud: Fraud is flat out dishonesty, sabotage, obstruction, deception and disruption – and the cost is enormous.

7 High-Trust Organizational Dividends™ But what about the flipside? When trust increases: speed increases and cost decreases.

When trust is high, customers buy more—more quickly, more confidently, and more often. They stay longer and they refer more of their friends. High trust enables relationships to grow, employee loyalty to soar, stocks to rise, and organizational dividends naturally increase.

When trust is high, the resulting dividend you receive is like a performance multiplier, elevating and improving every dimension of your organization and your life. High trust is like a rising tide, which lifts all boats.

In a company, high trust materially improves communication, collaboration, execution, innovation, strategy, engagement, partnering, and relationships with all stakeholders.

Just as the taxes created by low trust are significant, so the dividends of high trust are equally as compelling. When trust is high, the dividend we receive is a performance multiplier, elevating and improving every dimension of the organization. They include: 1.

Increased value: Watson Wyatt shows high-trust organizations outperform low-trust organizations in total return to shareholders by 286 percent.

2.

Accelerated growth: Research clearly shows customers buy more, buy more often, refer more and stay longer with companies they trust. And, these companies actually outperform with less cost.

3.

Enhanced innovation: High creativity and sustained innovation thrive in a culture of high trust. The benefits of innovation are clear – opportunity, revenue growth, and market share.

4.

Improved collaboration: High-trust environments foster the collaboration and teamwork required for success in the new global economy. Without trust, collaboration is mere coordination, or at best, cooperation.

5.

Stronger partnering: A Warwick Business School study shows that partnering relationships that are based on trust experience a dividend of up to 40 percent of the contract.

6.

Better execution: As the local franchise holder for FranklinCovey in Guyana, we use an execution quotient tool (xQ) that has consistently shown a strong correlation between higher levels of organizational execution and higher levels of trust.

7.

Heightened loyalty: High-trust companies elicit far greater loyalty from their primary stakeholders than low-trust companies. Employees, customers, suppliers, distributors and investors stay longer.

So, as a leader, what is your role with respect to trust?

First, recognize the business case for trust – be an advocate instead of an obstacle.

Second, see leadership as “getting results in a way that inspires trust.” In other words, personally model trust through character, competence, and demonstrated behaviour.

Third, align organizational systems and structures around trust. In the words of Campbell Soup’s CEO, Doug Conant: “The first thing for any leader is to inspire trust.”

Just remember: Nothing is as fast as the speed of trust. Nothing is as profitable as the economics of trust. Nothing is as central to leadership as relationships of trust.

It truly is the one thing that changes everything.

To learn more about how higher levels of trust can be restored and incorporated in your organization, complimentary sessions can be requested from FranklinCovey Guyana, located at 125 Regent Rd, Bourda, Georgetown.

Appointments can be scheduled by calling 592.225.1842.

Dr. Rosh Khan is an international business & marketing consultant. He is also the CEO of FranklinCovey Guyana, the Master Class Institute, and Social Rank Media – Guyana’s leading digital marketing agency.

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How to manage your stress levels in and out of the workplace

E

very person has experienced stress at some point in their lives. In fact, there are many definitions of ‘stress’, with no one definition being universally accepted. However, most include instances of mental, emotional or physical strain or tension.

Stress occurs where we are faced with a problem that affects us deeply and leaves an individual with the perception that their mental fortitude is not enough to cope with the situation and deal with it effectively.

Coping with stressful situations is usually done through a processing of thoughts that help to manage internal and external sources of stress.

However, if a person does not engage in activities that promote a healthy thought process, which is needed in order to cope with mentally taxing situations, stress can therefore become a debilitating factor.

Stress can come from many sources; home lives, the workplace, relationships and a plethora of other situations. While a few of these sources may be more serious than others, everyday occurrences can prove to be just as taxing.

Dealing with bills, waiting in traffic jams, arguments with a boyfriend or spouse about little things, or even lack of communication with a loved one can all add up to stress you out.

These smaller things are inevitable, after all, they cannot be avoided. However, it is important that larger stress causing factors are not allowed to be combined with these smaller issues, as they can pose a serious threat to an individual’s mental and physical health.

A common example of this combination occurs when we bring home our stress from work and allow it to affect our personal lives.

Stress, unfortunately, does not stay in the sphere from which it originates. Much like the files and documents we bring home from the office, workplace stress can sneak its way into your home life and wreak havoc.

People are disturbed, not by a thing, but by their perception of a thing. Epictetus

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Stress in the workplace can come from a number of factors: • working long hours • doing a job that you do not necessarily enjoy • dealing with discrimination or bullying in the workplace • low wages • excessive workloads Workplace stress, whilst it can affect your performance at work and your attitude towards your employer, can lead you into a dangerous habit of bringing your stress home with you. Adequate coping mechanisms are necessary to combat workplace stress, otherwise it can end up taking a larger toll on your life, affecting relationships and possibly leading to long-term issues, such as anxiety and depression.

Therefore, it is important that we learn to establish boundaries between our work lives and our home lives.

Signing out from your email account or shutting off your laptop or phone when you’re not on the job can help you from being directly faced with work related issues.

Boundaries are necessary to ensure that we do not end up living a life that is work centric, taking on all the stressors at the workplace and bringing them into a place that is supposed to provide comfort and relaxation. This leaves you with no safe place or stress free zones in which to recharge for the new week.

DEALING WITH STRESS Dealing with stress is not always straightforward.

There is no hard and fast remedy to get you through a stressful situation, as every individual is different and their thought processes vary. There are many ways to deal with a stressful situation, unfortunately however, many use detrimental coping mechanisms in order to get through.

These may include, overeating, consumption of alcohol or the use of narcotics. These methods only exacerbate the problem and come prepackaged with their own set of side effects and negative impacts, which only add stress to an already burdened psyche.

Many instances of obesity as well as drug or alcohol abuse stem from dealing with stressful situations incorrectly. Instead of using these dangerous mechanisms or even attempting to ignore the problem completely, here are a few tips to help cultivate and maintain a healthy coping process: •

Identifying Stressors When dealing with stress in the workplace, the first step you must take is to identify exactly what causes you to feel mentally overwhelmed. Identifying these causes or ‘stressors’, as they are commonly called, helps you to develop habits that directly counteract the occurrences. For example, if you realize that

working for an extended period of time can cause mental frustration, note this. After you have recognized this, instead of allowing the stressful situation to escalate to the point of excess frustration, find a temporary relief.

Taking a short stroll, or taking a break to have a snack can help immensely and allow you to think through a problem. Identifying stressors also help you to avoid certain situations where you can become stressed, thus making this one of the most important steps in establishing an effective coping mechanism.

•

•

Establishing a Routine Having a predictable routine can greatly contribute to a healthy coping mechanism and allow you to manage stress. Having a routine for a simple thing, such as exercise, can allow some structure into an unpredictable lifestyle. Routine times for meals and bedtimes are also important, as these encourage good nutrition as well as healthy sleeping habits.

Taking care of Yourself As aforementioned, a healthy diet and stable sleeping habits are useful to ensure an effective coping mechanism.

However, taking time to do relaxing activities, either by yourself or with loved ones, can allow you to de-stress.

Spending time with loved ones also prevents you from becoming isolated with any issues and provides a safe space to recharge and renew your thought process.

While certain situations do not always allow for regular

breaks for relaxation, simple breathing exercises can help get you through a tough day.

•

Self- Reflection and Encouragement Stress can bring out the worst in us, and not only impact negatively on our external relationships, but also with the way we see ourselves. Having negative thoughts about your inability to deal with a situation can lead to even more stress and put a wedge in your coping process.

Being patient with a situation is necessary to avoid mental frustration, but you must also learn to be patient with yourself in order to avoid feelings of inadequacy and crippling self -doubt.

Stress is an inevitable part of life, and is usually experienced by everyone at least once. Despite its inevitability, there are ways in which an individual can handle stress healthily. Once one learns to establish boundaries between areas of life that cause stress and compartmentalize it, they can deal with specific causes of stress and prevent a buildup and potential breakdown.

Learning to deal with stress is a necessary part of life as there will always be situations that cause us significant emotional and mental distress. It’s important to remember that we all experience this, despite our circumstances in life, and it is nothing we should go to great lengths to conceal.

Living a stress-free life may be more of an idea than a reality, but once we can develop a good coping mechanism, it is very possible to lead an easier life with a less-burdened psyche.

Guarding Against Those Bogus Educational Institutions

T

o avoid being scammed by illegitimate private institutions, a parent or a guardian could easily go directly to the Ministry of Education to enquire if a school is, at least, registered.

For technical and tertiary institutions, one can check for their accreditation (official approval or endorsement)

with the National Accreditation Council [NAC] of Guyana.

Once an institution is accredited by NAC, its name and accreditation status is recorded on the NAC’s website [www.nac.go.gy], thus giving persons a helping hand to choose wisely.

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Sonia Noel

continues to be one of Guyana’s leading designers

I

t was Vogue’s Anna Wintour who offered the famous tip, “Create your own style, let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others.”

Guyanese designer, Sonia Noel, has without a doubt succeeded in doing just this – creating style that is unique, yet identifiable.

She incorporates lattice work into her designs and has been doing this since the beginning of her more than 20 years as a thriving designer. She calls it her signature mark.

Lattice work involves interlocking several pieces of cloth in such a way that it leaves a pattern or sequence of square boxes along the fabric.

While some have bemoaned the monotony in the “many boxes she always has on her clothes,” Ms. Noel holds on it as the uniqueness in her designs.

She told Guyana Inc. that she incorporates lattice work into her designs as much as she can. She says, “I am obsessed with architectural structures and designs. I like to use it in my body of work. It is my trademark. Whenever people see it, they know it is a Sonia Noel design.”

After more than two decades of major accomplishments in the field of fashion designing, Ms. Noel remains the humble belle from Bartica who believes that anything is possible; a peculiar mix of designer powerhouse and savvy businesswoman.

Looking back to the beginning of her career, Ms. Noel recalled that in her early twenties, she took a leap of faith by starting her own boutique, called Mariska’s

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Fashion, named after her daughter.

She sold imported clothing, but showcased her own designs by wearing them daily. As a result, she was able to garner support from her patrons whose interests were heightened by the unique clothing. A few years later, she launched Mariska’s Designs.

Ms. Noel’s designs can be worn from beach to ballroom and she has dressed from housewives to First Ladies.

An occasion of pride the designer cheerfully remembers was when American singer, Michelle Williams, included a Poncho from the ‘First Resort’ collection of Mariska’s Designs in her touring wardrobe during her stint in the Tony Awardwinning Musical FELA. The mention of her designs as “fashion musthaves” in a 2013 Edition of New York’s Essence Magazine was another monumental milestone for Ms. Noel. She also received many local, regional and international awards for her contributions to the fashion industry and her philanthropic work.

Among other successes, Ms. Noel founded Guyana Fashion Weekend (now Guyana Fashion Week) in 2007 and Guyana Model Search and Designers Portfolio in 2008. The Guyana Fashion Weekend is the second longest running fashion event of its kind in the region and has served to launch the careers of many makeup artists, stylists, set decorators and graphic artists, just to name a few. They have all found a home at these fashion events.

In addition, these events have proven themselves to be indispensable to the country’s cultural policy development as it seeks to invest in the burgeoning creative industry. Ms. Noel holds this as one of her most prized achievements. She pledges to continue toiling for the benefit of her country, family and fans as a true patriot.

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Work Related Law…

Protecting Pregnant Women in the Workplace P

regnancy is deemed to be one of the most incredibly fascinating turning points of a woman’s life.

But when it comes to her place of employ, a woman on her journey to motherhood may face acts of discrimination instead of consideration and support.

Prior to her pregnancy, she may have been extremely productive at her workplace.

But the trials of pregnancy can easily reduce the speed at which she can complete tasks assigned to her, as well as impair her ability to handle the volume of work she did before.

Some employers who operate their businesses without any “sentiment” may tend to respond to a woman’s pregnancy in various ways. In many instances in Guyana, this can take the form of reducing the workload, which in turn decreases the usual pay or offers the pregnant woman a lower position so as to cut costs. An employer may also choose to do neither of the foregoing and simply dismiss the woman altogether.

It is important to note however, that such acts, among others, constitute pregnancy discrimination.

In Guyana, there are several pieces of legislation which serve to protect pregnant women against discrimination in the workplace.

The Protection Against Unlawful Discrimination Act, for example, provides for the elimination of discrimination in employment, training, recruitment and membership of professional individuals and the promotion or equal remuneration to men and women, whether pregnant or not, who perform work of equal value and for matters connected therewith (13th October, 1997).

Section 4-Subsection 1 says: For the purposes of this Act, a person discriminates against another person if the first mentioned person makes, on any or the grounds mentioned in subsection (2), any distinction, exclusion or preference, the intent or effect of which is to nullify or impair equality of opportunity or treatment in any employment or occupation.

Subsection 2, in conjunction with Subsection 1, states that the grounds referred to are as follows: (a) race, sex, religion, colour, ethnic origin, indigenous population, national

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In Guyana, there are several pieces of legislation which serve to protect pregnant women against discrimination in the workplace. extraction, social origin, economic status, political opinion, disability, family responsibilities, PREGNANCY, marital status or age except for purposes of retirement and restrictions on work and employment of minors. (b) any characteristic which appertains generally or is generally imputed to persons or a particular race, sex religion, colour, ethnic origin, indigenous population, national extraction, social origin, economic status, political opinion, disability, family responsibilities, PREGNANT STATE, marital status or age except for purposes of retirement and restrictions on work and

employment of minors.

Part IIIProtection against discrimination in employment, Section 5 covers for equal employment opportunities in the statement made in subsection 1: It shall be unlawful for any person who is an employer or any person acting or purporting to act on behalf of a person who is an employer, in relation to recruitment, selection or employment or any other person for purposes of training, apprenticeship or employment, to discriminate against that other person on the grounds listed in section 4 (2).

Section 6 covers for no discrimination on any of the mentioned qualities when employing someone, especially if their qualifications match those that were described when advertising. Section 7 ensures that special measures be taken by employers of a temporary nature to promote equality of opportunity in employment based on the grounds set out by section 4(2).

Section 8 deems sexual harassment against an employee by an employer as a form of unlawful discrimination based on sex and in some cases, pregnancy.

Section 9 ensures that everyone doing equal work, even pregnant individuals must be paid equally.

So in essence, pregnant women are protected in the workplace from discrimination. They are ensured equality in hiring, promotion, opportunities, as well as rem uneration.

Key Strides in Guyana’s Supreme Court of Judicature By: Chancellor of the Judiciary (Ag),

Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards

J

uly 28, 2017 was a proud day for the Judiciary of Guyana. All the various divisions of the High Court are now housed in one compound – the Land Court has come home, so to speak, to take its place next to the new Family Court and other divisions of the High Court.

This new wing comprises three Civil Courts and the Land Court.

The Land Court, being a division of the High Court, has come full circle. It was first housed in the Maraj Building.

Then it went to share premises in Brickdam with the offices of the Police Complaints Authority, Office of the Ombudsman, Public Service Appellate Tribunal, the Bar Association and the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers.

It has finally found its way back home, like the prodigal child.

This allows for easier physical access to justice for the litigant and Attorneys-at-Law, easier management of the court and the registries and saving of expenses.

The idea of an addition to the then existing High Court building, the representation to the Minister of Finance for funding for construction, the liaison with the engineering consultants and the general oversight of its construction, was not ours. The Acting Chief Justice and I can lay no claim to fame in that regard.

The vision and its ultimate fruition belong to none other than the Former Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Carl Singh.

This new wing will accommodate courtrooms with modern technology, as we are hoping to have in the not-toodistant future, an E-Judiciary.

An E-Judiciary system would allow court documents to be filed, served and extracted electronically. Legal professionals would enjoy easy and convenient submission of court documents and online access to active case files using intuitive electronic filing (eFiling).

At the same time, judicial officers can enjoy improved efficiency and effectiveness in handling court cases and schedules, with features such as Court Case Management System. Countries such as Singapore, UAE, Namibia and Mauritius have implemented E-Judiciary systems.

This has led to the faster disposition of cases in those jurisdictions.

This is indeed a new era for the High Court in Georgetown. We see this new building as the start of a modern era involving changes which will improve access to justice.

I hasten to add that our beautiful Victorian architecture and Tudor architectural style will not be destroyed in the process.

Being under the watchful eyes of the National Trust, historians and aficionados of certain types of architecture and antiques, and having the love for it ourselves, we have always been careful in that regard.

I wish to note that the new physical structure is accompanied by the new Civil Procedures Rules 2017 and Family Proceeding Rules 2016.

These new regimes have brought Guyana into the era of case management and direction hearings which, at their core, are designed to eliminate the steps that are associated with delays and to make judges the drivers of pace of litigation.

The new civil procedure rules entails faster disposal of cases. The time line for first hearing of a case is now set between two and 28 days.

Since these new rules have been implemented (within the last 5 months), 1,258 cases were filed.

Out of that number, almost half of those cases have been disposed of.

This is the context in which we must view the new structures that have been added to the juridical landscape of the High Court. This demonstrates our commitment to the overall improvement of the administration in the High Court as well as the belief that, as a modern judiciary, it is critical that the public is kept informed about important aspects of the work of the judiciary.

To us, public confidence in the judiciary is an imperative.

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Health

Urinary Tract Infections: Causes, Symptoms and Preventative Measures

U

rinary Tract Infections or UTIs occur when bacteria from the rectal area enter through the urethra (the tube which removes urine from the bladder) and travel up the urinary tract to the bladder or kidneys.

For women, the chance of getting a Urinary Tract Infection at least once is as high as the chance of getting the common cold or flu.

In fact, there are a number of things women do without realizing that it could actually lead to a UTI. Symptoms of a UTI • A burning sensation during urination • Pain or pressure in your back or lower abdomen • Cloudy, dark, bloody or strange-smelling urine • Feeling tired or shaky • Fever or chills (a sign the infection may have reached your kidneys)

CAUSES/ PREVENTION 1) Failure to maintain proper hygiene when using the bathroom can lead to a woman contracting a UTI. For example, by wiping from ‘back to front’ instead of the reverse (the latter being the correct thing to do), you can transfer bacteria from the anus to your urethra.

Once bacteria like the escherichia coli (e.coli) move from the anus and enter the urethra, it can cause an infection. If left untreated, the infection can spread to the kidneys and cause further harm to your body.

2) Sex is also another cause of UTIs. The vagina is a self-cleansing organ which releases its own mucus or bacteria. When engaging in sexual intercourse, the chances are high for bacteria to enter the urethra, which is within close proximity of the vaginal cavity.

Be sure to urinate at least 30 minutes after sex to flush away any bacteria that may have entered your urethra.

3) Some women love to boast about the strength of their bladder, as they can go for hours holding their urine. Researchers have found, however, that this is an unhealthy practice which provides a favourable environment for bacterial overgrowth, thereby leading to a UTI. 4) Failure to get as much water into your system can also lead to bacterial overgrowth in the bladder.

5) Using several birth controls within one month or less, such as spermicides and diaphragms, can also lead to the growth of bacteria in the urethra.

Some preventative measures which can be taken to avoid a UTI include; choosing showers over soaking in baths; wearing underwear with a cotton lining; increasing intake of Vitamin C or similar supplements to promote a healthy urinary tract; drinking lots of coconut water and cranberry juice and incorporating yogurts and other probiotic foods into your diet.

TREATMENT Once you have detected a UTI symptom, it is recommended that you see a doctor for treatment. It is likely that your doctor will prescribe a dosage of antibiotics.

During this stage, it is recommended that you use a lot of water to flush your system of any lingering bacteria in your bladder and urethra.

If it is not your first UTI and you have had more than two in the year, it may be best to ask your doctor for a treatment plan. These can range from a small dosage of antibiotics to be used after sexual intercourse or a set of antibiotics to be used at home after noticing symptoms.

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