-founder urges women to break into male-dominated fields, O&G sector
By Feona Morrison
A TRANSFORMATIVE wave of female entrepreneurship is sweeping across this nation. At the forefront of this is distinguished British King’s Counsel, Lady Cherie Blair, whose advocacy and initiatives have empowered the lives of scores of women in Guyana and around the world.
Through her non-profit organisation, the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, Blair has not only championed the cause of gender equality, but also advocates for women to be at the forefront of economic development.
Blair, the wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, is an advocate for women’s rights and has long been a vocal supporter of female entrepreneurship.
During her appearance on this week’s episode of the Energy Perspectives Podcast, she shared that she was forced to learn independence at a very young age because she was raised by her mother and grandmother, after being abandoned by her father when she was eight years old.
She strongly believes in the untapped potential of women to drive economic success and this led her to establishing the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women in 2008. The foundation’s mission is to empower women entrepreneurs by providing them with the skills, technology, networks, and access to financial services they need for self-sufficiency and to succeed.
With an ambitious goal to revolutionise business opportunities for 1,000,000 (one million) women around the globe by 2030, Guyana has become the foundation’s focal point.
Blair gave an update on the foundation’s work towards this mission, stating: “Well, so far, we have reached 250,000 women. So, we are not doing too badly. But, I’m very proud in particular of the contribution that Guyana has made to that figure.
“The work my foundation has been doing these last three years here in this country has been very, very important to us.”
Recognising that education and training are pivotal to entrepreneurial success, the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women has introduced comprehensive capacity-building programmes in Guyana.
“I am very proud to say that one in 25 women in Guyana use our HerVenture app which is a mobile app free to use. [The app] teaches women skills, helps them to build their confidence and gives them that basic business training. The outcomes from this app are amazing,” she shared.
A part of the app is a learning tracker on Mobile Money Guyana (MMG)—an electronic wallet which allows users to store, send, and receive money and pay bills using their mobile phones.
MMG is powered by the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT).
SUPPORT FOR FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS
The foundation’s involvement in Guyana is demonstrated by a number of programmes intended to create an atmosphere that is supportive of female entrepreneurs.
These programmes are designed to address the particular difficulties that women experience, such as restricted access to financing, a lack of business education, and insufficient networking opportunities.
Blair stated: “One of the things we have discovered from our training, is that when women gain confidence, one of the things that happen is, they tend to charge more. They tend to realise that they are worth more. A simple thing like that can obviously make a difference…”
One of the cornerstone programmes implemented by the foundation in Guyana is “Road to Growth,” which equips women entrepreneurs in low and middle-income countries with business skills, financial literacy, networks and confidence, so they can achieve business growth.
Blair continued by expressing her admiration for the number of women pursuing business endeavours in traditionally male-dominated industries such as block-making and construction.
Furthermore, she stated that there is “absolutely no reason” why women should not work in the construction sector, given the rapid rise of the sector in Guyana.
She added: “There are great careers to be made in training as an electrician and providing electrical services to people. And women are seeing that these are jobs that they can do as well as, if not better than the men.”
She emphasised that when women are given opportunities, they tend to give back, and encourage and train others.
The notion that women should only work in specific industries is, in her words, “completely being smashed by the women of Guyana who are doing so many different businesses.”
She stressed that improved access to funding for female-owned businesses is necessary to keep women at the forefront of Guyana’s rapid development. She mentioned, for example, that the “Road to Finance” programme of her organisation, which is carried out in association with local banks, culminates in a pitching competition that enables women to obtain loans.
Blair emphasised that the government and private sector must collaborate to foster an enabling business environment for women, noting that the former must address discriminatory laws and policies that disadvantage them.
She also made the point that women entrepreneurs require strong support systems, because taking care of children, the elderly, and people with disabilities—activities that are typically performed by women—has a substantial negative influence on their success.
As the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women continues to expand its reach and deepen its engagement, it is looking to launch its global online mentoring programme in Guyana.
Importantly, Blair exhorted women to assume their proper role in the booming oil and gas sector (O&G) in Guyana.
“Don’t be afraid to ask for support, because when women come together, they are a force to be reckoned with,” she declared.
She said that it is evident that Guyana’s oil wealth is being invested wisely in the construction, education and other sectors.
Blair underscored the extent of Guyana’s economic growth by highlighting the nation’s current ranking of 47th for economic gender equality, having risen from 105th out of 156 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations in 2021.
