SEVERAL beneficiaries of the Matching Grants Initiative (MGI), on Wednesday last, met with the Honourable Manniram Prashad, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce and lauded the initiative.
Meeting the minister at his South Road office in Georgetown to give him a feedback on the programme and how it has benefitted their respective entity, were Rodwell Denny of Tandy’s Manufacturing Enterprise; Ashraf Mohamed Ally of Amazon Craft; Sherrod Forde of Forde’s Arts and Craft; Romona Mohabir of Mel’s Products; and Gail Sukhai of Gail’s Leather Creation.
A statement from the Tourism Ministry said the recipients all lauded the successful initiative which is aimed at enhancing the export capacity of small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs).
The ministry said they took the opportunity to express thanks for the welcome support which boost their competitiveness in an effort to prepare them for export activity and further development of their businesses.
MGI is a project of the Government of Guyana, being implemented through the National Competitiveness Strategy (NCS) and the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

The programme aims at boosting the competitiveness of private Guyanese firms, in particular small and medium enterprises, by enhancing their export capacity.
Minister Prashad said the initiative encouraged a public-private sector approach to continue to improve competitiveness and helped businesses to move ahead and SMEs are given the opportunity to develop and grow.
He encouraged them to continually make their products more attractive and of high-quality to ensure they make their mark in the international market.
Minister Prashad said his ministry would like to work along with the various entities to see how they can go forward in the future to expand their businesses.
Denny of Tandy’s said the MGI aided in various areas helping to gear them for the competitive market including standards.
Mohabir of Mel’s Product which manufactures various products like spices and seasonings and has been in the business for the past 20 years, said the MGI has been a great push for their business helping them in various areas, and assisted in channelling them in the right direction.
Sukhai also concurred that this project has helped to expand her vision for her business, and she has been reaping its benefits, and is moving ahead with the extension and improvement of her business.
MGI was designed to help enterprises participate consistently and profitably in the world market and it has three phases, namely export readiness assessment, project preparation, and project implementation, and it is being overseen by an eight- member public/private council.