FOURTEEN entrepreneurs have completed the Centre for Local Business Development’s ‘ElevateAll’ programme, designed to enable the growth of small and medium-sized businesses through tailored workshops, gap analysis, mentoring, pitch development, and fostering a strong and supportive peer-learning environment for businesses.

Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond, speaking at the closing of the 10-week programme at the Pegasus Corporate Suites on Saturday, commended the facilitators and mentors for the execution of the innovative, intuitive workshop and professional mentoring to accelerate and empower small businesses.

“To the facilitators of the Centre for Local Business Development and the mentors, I say thank you…because many of our small businesses struggle and indeed some fail because they lack strong networks and support systems,” she said.

She said that the one-on-one mentoring, together with the programme’s creative supported peer learning environment will no doubt contribute substantially to the development of the participants.

The tourism minister said that these are important modules, since Guyana is at a point where there is growing investor confidence in the country and international businesses are looking for local businesses that are open for investment.

“Our businesses must be able to comprehensively articulate their business focus and value propositions if they expect to engage in productive discourse with potential partners,” she said.
Minister Walrond related that the government’s strategic approach to small business development goes beyond this year in grants. She explained that they are investing heavily in training to build the capacity of small businesses.

She noted that just a week ago, during a visit to Washington DC with President Dr. Irfaan Ali, in a meeting with the US Secretary of Commerce, talks began for US small and medium sized businesses to come help build capacity and bring mentorship to Guyana and to offer opportunities in partnership.

“The President raised this topic with the Secretary of Commerce, bringing and starting a programme where more small and medium sized US companies can come to give opportunities to our small businesses here. So, with that, there is the possibility of you getting partnerships with smaller businesses, but also learning and for that capacity building and training to come,” she said.
The tourism minister also noted that since assuming office in 2020, approximately 8,000 young entrepreneurs have been trained in business plan writing, marketing, financial management and app technology.

Dr. Natasha Gaskin-Peters, the Director of the Centre for Local Business Development, related that the centre’s capacity building programmes started in 2017, not only because of the oil and gas sector, but to ensure that there was inclusive business development in Guyana moving forward.
She said that the mandate of the centre is to build the capacity of all Guyanese businesses.

“We recognized that there was a need to have a programme that was collective in nature, that really targeted the folks that were outside of the oil and gas sector so this would have birthed the Accelerate-Her programme because we saw that there were a lot of women entrepreneurs operating outside of the oil and gas sector,” she explained.

Through the Accelerate-Her programme, they have worked with over 70 women-owned businesses; however, recognising a gap in the manufacturing sector, they decided to pivot the programme to elevate all businesses.

“This allows us to target any niche in Guyana for which we see the need, because of course, the center’s focus is around where the gaps exist and how we can fill those gaps so that we could continue to build inclusive economic growth and not only focus on the oil and gas sector,” the Director said.

The Sunday Chronicle spoke to a few participants of the programme who said they were thankful to have been given the opportunity to participate.

Fay Gilgious-Greaves, owner of Jofa Products, a pepper-based business which produces sweet and hot peppers, said that the programme was extremely beneficial.

“I really appreciate signing up because if I did not, I would not have known what was in store for me. Now that I have signed up, I really enjoyed the journey. Each step of the way was an energy for me. Renewed energy…” Greaves said.

Greaves added: “The budget programmes where recording and all of that was a challenge to me. I now better understand the concept and how to go about doing it. So definitely my finance would not be in jeopardy anymore because I know now to record and to follow along the way.”
The entrepreneur noted that other participants were a tower of strength because they worked together and she had a lot of support from the centre’s team.

Additionally, Gavin Agard, Managing Director of Green Line Products Enterprise Inc. said that the most important takeaway for him from the programme was building confidence in his brand and product, as well as the importance of financial management and documentation within the business and the marketing of the product.

Green Line manufactures customized timber products including epoxy tables, epoxy doors and epoxy countertops. The entrepreneur noted that with the growing oil and gas industry in Guyana, he recognised the importance of connecting his business to the industry and saw the Center as an avenue to allow him to learn and understand the oil and gas sector.

“The programme has equipped me with all the necessary tools and confidence which is the most important part, to market and promote my product and promote my business in a whole,” Agard said.