This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GEORGETOWN 000064 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: BEXP ABUD BTIO ECON EINV ETRD GY
SUBJECT: GEORGETOWN FY06 BFIF PROPOSAL 
 
REF: 05 STATE 215954 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY:  Embassy Georgetown submits a proposal for USD 
$6,000 under the Business Facilitation Incentive Fund (BFIF) 
to host a seminar on electronic commerce.  Post proposes to 
coordinate this project with the regional Foreign Commercial 
Service (FCS) office in Santo Domingo and the U.S. Agency 
for International Development's Guyana Trade and Investment 
Support program. This project will provide additional 
resources and support to U.S. investors as well as Guyanese 
exporters and will help to support Post's Mission Program 
Plan (MPP) goal of strengthening Guyana-U.S. business 
opportunities.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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OVERVIEW AND JUSTIFICATION 
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¶2.  Embassy Georgetown proposes to host a seminar on 
electronic commerce and business development. The audience 
for this event, to be offered at two locations in Guyana 
(Georgetown, the capital, and New Amsterdam, the eastern 
financial center), will include Government of Guyana (GOG) 
policymakers, local business people, and representatives of 
interested trade organizations, including the American 
Chamber of Commerce in Guyana. Post proposes to welcome a 
U.S.-based consultant with expertise in the use of IT for 
marketing to headline the event. The event will also provide 
an opportunity for the local Economic/Commercial Officer to 
showcase USG e-commerce resources, such as www.export.gov 
and www.buyusa.gov. 
 
¶3.  Such  a seminar would come at an opportune time  for  e- 
commerce   development.  In  a  recent  speech  on  economic 
priorities,  President Bharrat Jagdeo identified information 
technology as a prime lever for investment. In addition, the 
Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce has drafted an E- 
Commerce  Bill that seeks to establish the legal environment 
for the conduct of electronic commerce and the processing of 
electronic  transactions. The Ministry is presently  engaged 
in  discussions  and consultations on the  Draft  E-Commerce 
Bill. 
 
¶4.  The Guyanese market offers strong potential to leverage 
IT in business facilitation. The U.S. is Guyana's number one 
source of imports and number two destination for exports. 
Post's commercial assistant regularly receives requests for 
information on how to conduct business with the United 
States. Nevertheless, knowledge of FCS electronic resources 
is limited. In addition, while a number of entities in 
Guyana market themselves on line, especially in the tourism 
area, knowledge of best practices for marketing a product on 
the internet is unsophisticated. Facilitation of e-commerce 
for marketing purposes would greatly enhance the ability of 
U.S. business entities to gain market information, including 
data on prices and product appearance. Early successes in 
post's other efforts to increase the use of IT in its 
operations, such as the Consular Section's promotion of the 
Electronic Visa Application Form (EVAF), suggest that 
government-to-consumer IT applications are relevant in 
Guyana. 
 
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PERFORMANCE METRICS / ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES 
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¶5.  The E-Commerce program will increase access to the 
Guyanese market for U.S. investors and will provide contacts 
for Guyanese companies and individuals eager to build 
commercial ties to the United States. Specific performance 
metrics will include the number of Guyanese companies doing 
business on-line and increases in the number of Guyanese 
visitors to USG electronic commercial diplomacy resources. 
 
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PLANNING MILESTONES 
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¶6.  Post will collaborate with USAID's Guyana Trade and 
Investment Support program in the vetting and selection of 
the consultant to lead the program. The Economic/Commercial 
Section will also secure the attendance of a high-level GOG 
official to be the keynote speaker and invite 
representatives of various trade organizations in such 
industries as tourism, crafts, and financial services. 
 
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ESTIMATED COSTS 
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¶7.  The anticipated cost for this project is $US 6,000 to 
fund travel, hotel and per diem for a U.S. based consultant, 
site rental, and add placement in local media outlets. The 
budget for the program will also include brochures listing 
USG commercial resources on-line. Post also proposes to use 
BFIF funds to purchase a booth at the GuyExpo trade fair, 
where Economic/Commercial section staff will distribute 
brochures promoting USG online commercial diplomacy 
resources. The budget assumes the following: 
 
$4,500 for travel, fees, hotel and per diem for a U.S. based 
consultant 
$150 for print media and TV advertising 
$750 for brochures 
$600 for site rental, booth rental at GuyExpo and FSN 
overtime 
 
¶8. Point of contact through November 2006 is 
Economic/Commercial Officer Ed Luchessi.  He can be reached 
at IVG 747-0220 or LuchessiEP@state.gov. 
 
BULLEN