TELECOMMUNICATIONS giant, GTT, on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ActionINVEST Caribbean Inc to support the marketing and promotion of the HERVenture, a business education app designed for women entrepreneurs.
Launched in Guyana in September, the app was developed by the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women and was brought to Guyana in partnership with the ExxonMobil Foundation (Guyana) and ActionINVEST Caribbean Inc.
Launched with an aim of reaching at least 3,000 women, to date, the app has already been downloaded by 2,900 women in Guyana, and GTT is hoping that through their assistance, the initial target can now be surpassed.
“The gender gap in business and investment, particularly among small and medium sized businesses, has traditionally favoured male leadership more than female. So, we at GTT are delighted to invest in this programme to empower female entrepreneurs and help to redress the balance,” GTT Chief Executive Officer, Damian Blackburn, commented at the signing.
“At GTT, two of the key promises underpinning our brand are to innovate for all in Guyana and to strengthen our community. HerVenture will achieve both of our key promises — this is why this programme was easy for us to support. I am very confident that the Women Business will Rise together using this innovative tool,” Blackburn noted.
The signing took place at the ActionINVEST Headquarters on Parade Street, with Blackburn signing on behalf of GTT and Chairman, Vishnu Doerga, signing on behalf of ActionINVEST.
During his remarks at the signing, Doerga read a statement from Cherie Blair, commending the impact that GTT’s collaboration with the project will bring.
“Mobile companies can play a powerful role in steering women to support products and services they need to grow their businesses through working with the foundation and ActionINVEST. GTT is helping to support the resilience and development of thousands of women-owned businesses and advancing women’s economic empowerment more broadly,” Doerga noted.
Developed by the Cherie Blair Foundation, and first launched in 2018, the HerVenture mobile learning app was developed specifically for women who own micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in low and middle-income countries. The app, which is currently available in Vietnam, Indonesia, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, has supported over 41,000 women since its launch.
The app is completely free of cost and offers essential business training and support on-the-go. It features nine learning tracks on a range of topics, including how to launch a business, access financing, expand market access, and to get into the e-commerce business.
The signing was also attended by ActionINVEST HerVenture Support Leader, Salena Bacchus; GTT Chief Operations Officer, Orson Ferguson; and GTT Mobile Money General Manager, Babita Ram.
Ram explained that GTT will be assisting ActionINVEST with the hosting of a number of outreaches across the country, while the HERVenture signs will be displayed in stores, and GTT will be providing marketing through text messages, among other services.
Bacchus noted that during these outreaches, the target will be to go out as much as possible to communities outside of the coastland, with a particular focus on communities in Region Eight, where they believe more advocacy for the app is needed.
Through the partnership, GTT will also be able to showcase some of its innovative business inclined services, particularly the MMG, which has become a popular electronic payment method among Guyanese businesses.
