FINANCE Minister Winston Jordan has committed to ensure that small businesses receive much-needed support to expand and become fully sustainable during a meeting with Hafeeza Smith, a Berbice businesswoman, on Friday.

A mother of five, Hafeeza Smith, 35, of Number One Village, East Berbice-Corentyne, has been producing several organic products such as extra virgin coconut oil, carrot oil, coconut snacks and flour.  She single-handedly started the business, creating a name and reputation of her own through trial and error over the years.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, Minister Jordan said he was astonished to see the work of the entrepreneur who opted to get out of poverty through entrepreneurship.

“It gives credence to the old adage, ‘You teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.’ This is a lady with a story straight out of poverty and she didn’t take the easier road to stay alive. She went and did research. She made use of programmes that the government has made available, at GSA and other demonstrations, and she put it to practice in her humble home. She is able to create a known product, coconut oil, and a relatively unknown product, carrot oil, which I am seeing for the first time. Based on the uses and far reach, this product has been able to reach persons in the diaspora. I believe she is on to pretty good things,” Jordan said.

Recognising the family’s challenges, the minister committed financial and capacity support to Smith for continued success of her business. He explained that government, through the Sustainable Livelihoods and Entrepreneurial Development programme (SLED) will be able to assist them.

“She is still at humble beginnings and we would like to put her in touch with people who are knowledgeable in project analysis, so that she can put this in first and expand it. We also offer some financial support assistance to her,” the minister said.

The move by the finance ministry took the businesswoman by surprise and she promised to put the offered assistance to good use.

“It’s going to take my business to the next level, because they are some crucial things that I need at the moment, a mill, and the correct environment for the products that I need to make; so I really appreciate this help. She also thanked the government for taking an interest in her burgeoning enterprise.

“You recognise our hard work, challenges and you have set things in place for us. You have offered us things that we cannot attain ourselves. You come to us to bring the help that is so remarkable and very appreciated,” Smith said.

Smith started the business after her husband took ill in 2017 for a few months, to safeguard her family’s well-being. She completed several courses hosted by the Guyana School of Agriculture and
other government agencies on marketing and adding value to products, eventually launching her own company King Chezomi.