TWENTY-THREE University of Guyana (UG) students have successfully completed a 12-week Business Encounter Training programme which will equip them with the skills and competencies needed to design and establish businesses that are innovative and highly competitive.
They attended a virtual graduation ceremony hosted by the University of Guyana Institute for Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (UGIRIE), on Saturday.
During the ceremony, several of the students were awarded for their innovative and cutting-edge business projects, some of which have now become household names in Guyana and will penetrate regional markets in the coming months.
Those receiving awards included: Finella Martin-Lee, Michael Lewis, Nawaz Haniff, Ashli Marks, and Ronaldo Venture from the School of Entrepreneurship & Business Innovation; David Forde of the Faculty of Engineering & Technology; Farzana Baksh, School of Pharmacy; and Raeburn Jones, Faculty of Agriculture & Forestry/Entrepreneur, Mocha-Arcadia Multi-Purpose Cooperative.

The university’s 11th Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paloma Mohamed-Martin, in her remarks, noted that the university’s Blueprint 2040 is coming alive with the implementation of the UGIRIE programme. She cited two areas: innovation and entrepreneurship, which are specific to Goals 2 and 4 of the blueprint, and observed that the UGIRIE Business Encounter Training programme is a small but very important step in the journey towards UG realising the aspirational goals of its blueprint. The VC also highlighted that UG is completely focussed on creating ‘Citizen Success’. “With this initiative, it becomes more than just technical competence for our graduates, it becomes a matter of modelling for them what success, good behaviour, good values, etiquette in class and online etiquette look like. Since 60% of learning happens through observation, so it becomes important for facilitators and mentors to help model for and guide our young people,” Professor Martin expounded. Meanwhile, UGIRIE’s Founding Director and former Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, Professor Pat Francis, recalled that when the project first started, it was unsure where the resources would have come from to ensure its sustainability.

However, she expressed that at UG, there is a vision to support and develop young entrepreneurs as this is what is needed in Guyana, hence all efforts were made to ensure that the project received the financial backing from various partners, the greatest of which were the partners of the Greater Guyana Initiative. Francis further noted that the research being done, as well as the courses and workshops being offered by the UGIRIE, will be streamlined as electives and will eventually find their way into the curriculum of the university following due academic process. “Our students are bright; they have what it takes to be innovators. Give the young people a chance so that Guyana can move from businesses being buying and selling to a people who are innovating and bringing in foreign exchange into the country,” she added. She further noted that other students must be exposed to other countries and facilities that will simulate their ideas, in order to bridge the education gap that exists. “If, as a nation, we are going to meet the needs of the next century, we must ensure that graduates do not leave UG looking for jobs but rather to have them graduate as innovators creating jobs. That is, they must put their talent, mental, and physical energies to work for Guyana,” Francis urged.

The UGIRIE project is a beneficiary of the Greater Guyana Initiative (GGI), which is funded by the Stabroek Block co-venturers, ExxonMobil, Hess and CNOOC.
The $20billion commitment is geared at building human capacity and supporting sustainable and diversified economic growth across Guyana. UG is one of 5 major partners in the initiative, and has since benefited tremendously in several areas of academic and institutional advancement. Matthew Scharf, Senior Public & Government Affairs Adviser at ExxonMobil Guyana, noted that the company has been continuously supporting various initiatives of the university since 2015, as they contribute to national development. Also giving remarks was the Executive Director of Camex Restaurants Inc., Dr Terrence Campbell. He acknowledged that since the university has a pivotal role to play in Guyana’s development, the efforts by UGIRIE to share with and transfer business skills to young entrepreneurs from different backgrounds are both critical and timely.
International Business Consultant and Entrepreneurship Development Specialist, Yvonne Mattis, gave a detailed overview of the programme. She also served as the UGIRIE Workshop Programme Consultant.

Dean (Designate) of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Dr Paulette Henry, who has led the development of national professional standards for social work practice in Guyana, distributed the certificates to the participants. The UGIRIE was birthed in 2019 by Professor Francis. The initiative focusses on upscaling UG’s award-winning, student and staff innovation concepts which facilitates the expansion of business opportunities. Programmes and courses offer practical approaches for establishing, accelerating and scaling up UGs research and innovations to businesses. UGIRIE focusses on concepts that are grounded in good science and technology.
The university’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor Institutional Advancement, Dr Mellissa Ifill, eloquently moderated the simple but significant ceremony.