Linden youths urged to register businesses to qualify for RDC contracts
Regional Chairman, Renis Morian engaging youths who were interested in tendering for small contracts at the RDC
Regional Chairman, Renis Morian engaging youths who were interested in tendering for small contracts at the RDC

AS another avenue of financial empowerment, given the limited means of employment in Region 10, youths are being urged to register their small business, which is the first step of pre-qualifying for small contracts up for tender, at the Regional Democratic Council (RDC).
This admonition was given by Regional Chairman, Renis Morian, who has been meeting with youths and sensitising them on the process of business registration and tendering.

During his most recent visit to Linden, Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin, while meeting with the Linden Chamber of Commerce, reiterated government’s policy of 20 per cent of its procurement going to small entrepreneurs. He also encouraged young people in Linden to get their small businesses registered and to forge ties with the Small Business Bureau (SBB), which facilitates such registration. The SBB has a help desk in Linden, and also facilitates training in record keeping, business proposal writing etc.

During an interview with this newspaper, Morian noted that tendering for small contracts by youths at the RDC is high on the agenda. Now that the budget cycle has commenced, youths have a wide avenue of items they can tender, to supply the RDC. These include culinary items, toiletries, furniture etc.

Bids for small contracts such a repairs to buildings, roads, drains and other infrastructure are also welcomed. One young person, who has taken the encouragement, has already registered his business and has prequalified and submitted his bid for an item up for tender. He related that the process of business registration is straight forward and simple.

It entails purchasing of a pre- qualification document at the RDC, applying for the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) compliance, Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) compliance and a business registration at the office of Commercial Registry in Georgetown. A registration fee of $6,500 will be charged for the first time registration and $2,500.00 for annual renewal.

The process normally takes five working days. “After being unemployed for a couple of months, I decided to register my business in me and my wife’s name and have prequalified for supply of items up for bid at the RDC. It is a way of making money, rather than to sit and complain, and I encourage other youths to do the same,” the young man, who asked not to be named said.

In another bid to enable youths to receive financial empowerment, the RDC in 2019, will be embarking on a work readiness programme which will see youths being sent to various governmental and non-governmental organisations to receive on-the-job training. They will be receiving a stipend during the course of time. The programme was done in 2016 over a period of six months and participants received a stipend of $15,000. Many of the youths were retained as permanent employees at their placement after the programme was completed.

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