More than 100 young entrepreneurs were on Monday charged to “Be your own boss” as they graduated from the Ministry of Communities “Sustainable Livelihood Entrepreneurial Livelihood (SLED)” initiative. The graduates who hail from different parts of the country are now positioned to develop their respective businesses within their communities. They were part of coaching and training sessions that later provided them with the relevant skills to enter the world of business while being creative.

SLED operates by the distribution of interest-free cash grants to registered groups and associations, who need the financial or economic boost to improve their enterprises. It is operationalized after the prospective entrepreneur undergoes training, provides a business plan /proposal and is identified as a successful applicant. SLED has partnered with non-profit organisations, such as the Canadian funded Caribbean Local Economic Development Project (CARILED), the Skills and Knowledge for Youth Employment (SKYE), which carries the “Be your own boss” concept and the Swine Producers Association to provide training and capacity building to beneficiaries of the grant,
While addressing the graduates at the event, President David Granger pointed out the importance of youth in the society, noting that Guyana will falter if youth falter and that the group will fail if there are no avenues for employment.
He said that employment is essential to human development since it generates an income which consequently generates livelihoods, adding that it is the principle means which allows people to escape from poverty.
The Head of State noted that the government is committed to generating employment and has embarked on a strategy to prepare young people for the world of work.
He said in the national budget presentation last year, Finance Minister, Winston Jordon announced the launch of the SLED initiative. He explained that the initiative emphasizes the employment policy of government through the encouragement of entrepreneurship, particularly for young people. He said the project contradicts the critics who posited that the government has no plans for unemployed and under-employed.
According to the President, SLED aims to assist those at the grassroots level, by providing training, mentorship, business development skills and start- up grants for individuals and for groups. He said the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN) which was launched last December in the mining town of Linden is also geared at assisting persons who may have ideas for small business ventures. A government subvention of $155M from the 2015 national budget has been made available to assist those persons.

He said another project, the Hinterland Employment and Youth Service (HEYS) Programme which caters for 2000 youths in 106 communities is also testimony of the government’s plans to create employment opportunities.
“SLED, HEYS and LEN initiatives are all part of this administration grand strategy to employ young people”, the Head of State told the gathering. He singled out the importance of education in order to improve performance as he reiterated the government’s commitment to generating employment.
Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkhan told those gathered that the SLED initiative is working in communities to develop sustainable strategies for development in form of Local Area Economic Profiles (LAEP) and Local Economic Development Strategic (LFC). He pointed out that there are tools which communities could use in order to attract investment, generate revenues and use as a compass for short to medium term development plans. He said eight such groups were developed.
Minister Bulkhan noted that during the initial phase of the project, advertisements were placed in the media requesting expressions of interest and he noted that 140 expressions were received.
A selection of representatives from the subject ministry as well as the Ministry of Business and CARILED initially selected 7 to 8 groups and an additional 4 for initial funding. These included the Guyana Swine Producers Cooperative Limited, the United National Resources and Agriculture Producers, Women for Change, USAID’s SKYE project and For The Children Sake Foundation.
He said the activities funded include pig rearing, pork production, bee-keeping, sheep and goat rearing, milk and cheese production, expansion of existing production enterprises, bottled seasoning businesses and computer repairs among others.
He said a total of $76.5M was initially disbursed and to date almost $100M has been expended on the initiative with individual disbursements ranging from $3M to $20M. The investment, he noted, will create approximately 200 jobs which all carry a multiplier impact
“To those persons who will obtain a job out of this programme, I assure you that the government is happy to have played this small part in your life”, Bulkhan said as he urged the graduates to value and learn from the job.

United States Ambassador to Guyana, Perry Holloway told the audience that in 2015, Minister Jordan mentioned plans to use initiatives to encourage viable economic interventions which would stimulate employment opportunities. He said the SLED investment objectives are consistent with the US government’s development efforts in Guyana particularly those consumed under the USAID SKYE programme. He said hundreds of persons have benefited from the SKYE programme here and he was encouraged by the government’s commitment to an investments in its youth.
A number of participants expressed appreciation to the authorities for assisting them via the SLED initiative. These include AKeem Williams who was supported via the SKYE/SLED partnership. Today he sells bottled honey products and has big plans to expand his venture. Young Tiffany Peters, who was pardoned after spending time at a correctional facility, expressed appreciation to the government for assisting her in her poultry project. She is also working to expand her project in the months ahead and is about to start rearing her second batch of chickens.
Collette Burgess, who was once an inmate at the New Opportunity Corps, delighted the audience with her testimonial on her poultry project and the challenges she faced while starting the venture. She brought emotional smiles to some in the audience as she advertised sales even as she expressed appreciation to the authorities in providing her with another opportunity to develop her ambitions.