APPROXIMATELY 300 small business owners from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) will receive $150,000 to help expand their operations as part of a small business grant programme spearheaded by the Small Business Bureau (SBB).

According to the Department of Public Information (DPI), one of the recipients, Chandrawattie Sadiq was elated to receive the grant. She has been a seamstress for several years, and hopes to purchase additional sewing machines to expand her business.

“I would just want to thank the Small Business Bureau and the government for the opportunity, because this is going to help us,” Sadiq told the DPI.

Damon Boyce, who also collected his cheque, is thankful for the assistance. He said the gesture from the government would significantly push his new taxi and car-rental service.

“I am into the taxi service and car rental for approximately three weeks, and am looking forward to serving the community,” the budding entrepreneur related.

For Ann D’Ornellas, the timely support will help accomplish her dreams of becoming a big agent for Guyana’s two leading telephone companies.

“My business is simply retailing; I sell cards and credit for Digicel and GTT, along with MMG,” D’Ornellas said, adding:

“I am seeing that I am going big with the MMG; that’s my desire; to be an agent… And this grant will help me to continue, and to invest more in the business.”

Over the past two weeks, the SBB has conducted similar distribution exercises in Regions Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Seven (Cuyuni Mazaruni) and Ten (Upper Demerara Berbice).

SBB’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Simon Pollard explained that the distribution process would continue next week in several regions, including Region Four.

“We will be going back to some of the regions to distribute grants to those persons who would have applied, and were not among the first batch when we were in those regions; we will be going back to Region Six and Two sometime next week,” Pollard stated.

He disclosed that the SBB has seen a significant increase in the number of persons benefitting from its programme this year, and is hoping to expand its current initiatives, and establish more options for business owners to pursue.

“One of the things we want to encourage small business owners to do is to apply to the Small Business Bureau,” Pollard said, adding: “There are various services that we offer; the grant programme is just the access to finance programmes. We also have the collateral guarantee programme, where they are arranged with Republic Bank and GBTI.”

Close to 200 small businesses across the Essequibo Islands-West Demerara (Region Three) are also expected to receive grants. That exercise also began on Friday with the first 40 persons benefitting from it. The SBB intends to distribute more than 1,400 small business grants valuing some $300 million to entrepreneurs countrywide.