SEVERAL private-sector entrepreneurs stand to benefit from coaching to which they were exposed during a one-day Direct Assistance Grant Scheme Workshop held yesterday at the Guyana Pegasus in Georgetown.

Funded by the European Union, the workshop was part of the 10th EDF Regional Private Sector Development Programme (RPSDP) for CARIFORUM countries, and was touted by the participants as a resounding success.  The forum was organised by the Caribbean Export Development Agency (CEDA), in collaboration with the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) and the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest).
Mr. Daneshwar Deonarine, Board Member of CEDA and Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, outlined the purpose of the workshop as follows:

* to increase awareness of Guyanese firms and business support organisations of the Direct Assistance Grant Scheme

* to increase private sector firms’ uptake of DAGS by collaborating with the Guyana Chamber of Commerce, Guyana Manufacturers Association & Go-Invest

* to explain and illustrate to BSOs and firms how to prepare an application for grant funding, inclusive of objectives, goals, outputs, methodologies, description of activities, action plan and budget development

* to transfer knowledge to BSOs to enable them to deliver hands-on assistance to firms in preparing applications, and

* to increase the number of successful applications from Guyana

Representing the collaborating and coordinating agencies were  Mr. Joachim Jacobson, Second Secretary and Head of Trade Section in the Delegation of the European Union to Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago; Mr. Lance Hinds, Senior Vice President of the GCCI; Mr. Dhanpaul Dhanraj, Officer-in-Charge of GO-INVEST; Mr. Daneshwar Deonarine, Board Member of the Caribbean Export Organisation and Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce; Mr. Kirk Brown, Ms Celestine Moe and Ms. Sonia Bowen of the Barbados-based delegation of CEDA.
In his opening remarks, he outlined that CEDA’s fundamental vision is to optimise the Caribbean Region’s export potential through facilitating innovation and the creation of world-class brands capable of successfully competing globally.
Further, he said that CEDA endeavours to augment competitiveness of firms in CARIFORUM countries in selected sectors through investment; management and product development; market expansion and export diversification.
He emphasised that CEDA has a mandate which demands that countries submit proposals of a high standard, and that is one of the reasons why Direct Assistance Grant Scheme Workshops are organised.
To this end, he  reminded participants that their proposal is the first step in accessing this fund, therefore it is absolutely necessary that they submit proposals ‘with substance’ and of a high standard, and no less.
Deonarine recalled that in response to a call for proposals in 2012, of the four Caribbean countries responding, Guyana which submitted the least amount of entries, was the only country to have won almost 50% Grant Awards – proportionately higher than all the others. Against this backdrop, he conceded that Guyana had submitted good proposals, but added that it means that they need to submit more.
On a note of encouragement, he threw out a challenge urging firms/businesses/companies in Guyana to submit more proposals under the 10th EDF
He called on the participants to optimally utilise the bank of opportunities at their disposal; increase the number of proposals submitted, and lift their eyes beyond the constraints, issues, and negative perceptions to this bank of opportunities to grant funding.
Deonarine said that for the entire 9th EDF Direct Assistance Grant Scheme from 2008 to 2010, a total of 197 grants, valued at €2.7 million, was awarded.
For the period October 2011 to June 2012, Caribbean Export launched two Calls for Proposals for The Direct Assistance Grant Scheme. Out of this, 142 firms were awarded grant contracts totalling €2.7 million.
The sectors benefiting from the funds allocated to the 142 awardees were: Agriculture,   including Aquaculture, Fisheries, Apiculture, Agro-Processing Business Support Organisations; Creative Industries, namely Fashion, Health and Wellness, ICT; Manufacturing; Professional Services, and Tourism.
The Fund will be utilised to modernise equipment; upgrade facilities to meet international food and quality standards; enhance products and packaging; implement alternative energy systems; market and promote products and services; train staff, and develop collateral materials.
The Caribbean Export representative said that building on the successful implementation of the 9th EDF Caribbean Regional Trade and Private Sector Development Programme, Caribbean Export was granted the responsibility by the CARIFORUM Council of Ministers to implement the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) Regional Private Sector Development Programme.
This five-year programme, which started in 2011 and will end in 2015, has a budget of 34.6 million Euros. Of that amount, 28.3 million Euros from the EDF will contribute to the gradual integration of CARIFORUM countries into the world economy, thereby enhancing Regional economic growth and, by extension, alleviating   poverty, he said.
The 10th EDF Regional Private Sector Development Programme has four main result areas to be delivered by the project. These are:

a) Enhancing competitiveness and promoting innovation among CARIFORUM’s private sector; promoting trade and export development among CARIFORUM states;

b) Promoting stronger trade and investment relations among CARIFORUM and the French Caribbean Outermost Regions, as well as the European Union Overseas Countries and Territories in the Caribbean;

c) Promoting stronger trade and investment cooperation between CARICOM and The Dominican Republic
One of Caribbean Export’s mandates under the 10th EDF is to enhance competitiveness and promote innovation among CARIFORUM’s private sector. This is being achieved through a specific funding mechanism — the Direct Assistance Grant Scheme.

Deonarine urged firms, businesses and companies in Guyana to make the best of the forum, and to use this opportunity to raise questions on how their entities can improve respective proposals, and how they can benefit from this grant funding facility.
Other speakers delivering brief remarks at the opening forum were:  Mr. Dhanpaul Dhanraj and the European Union’s Mr. Joachim Jacobson. Workshop facilitators included Mr. Kirk Brown, Ms. Celestine Moe, and Ms. Sonia Noel. Chairperson was Mr. Lance Hinds.