THE Small Business Bureau (SBB) which falls under the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce has recently reported that it has delivered training to over 40 persons in Lethem and Sand Creek.

According to the Bureau, on December 27, 2024, a total of 18 small business owners from Lethem participated in Marketing Fundamentals Training at the Lethem Business Incubator Centre. The session focused on strategies to promote and grow their businesses.

Meanwhile, on December 28, 2024, the team trained some 25 small business owners in Sand Creek on Small Business Management, covering financial planning, resource allocation, and decision-making.

The SBB commenced training in 2016 when it established training agreements with various partners, and has trained people in a variety of areas, including business management fundamentals and technical skills.

The SBB’s roles include developing and implementing programmes to help small businesses grow; reviewing and promoting government policies that affect small businesses; monitoring access to government procurement opportunities for small businesses; and providing information about the small business sector.

Some notable achievements of the SBB (according to the Ministry of Tourism Industry and Commerce website), include the Micro and Small Enterprise Development (MSED) Project which has seen some 3,738 potential and small business owners trained.

The SBB has disbursed 591 grants and 224 loans at a total value of GYD $760M to small business owners.

Furthermore, it has awarded more than 30 Green Business Technology Grants valued at GYD $1M each, to facilitate development of environmentally sustainable businesses. This count ends at 2020; over 600 business owners would have benefitted from specialised training in Sustaining Mining, Sustainable Forestry, Soap Manufacturing and Cosmetology.
The Bureau has established Help Desk facilities in eight Regions across Guyana, and 125 secondary school students from each of Guyana’s administrative regions have developed 60 small businesses under the In-School Entrepreneurship Programme.

Additionally, just over 80 businesses have been developed or expanded by at-risk youth under the Citizen Security Strengthening Programme.

There was also the establishment of the Business Incubator Centre at Belvedere, Corentyne Berbice, Region Six and in Lethem, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo, Region Nine.

The Small Business Bureau, with support from the government, says it remains committed to empowering entrepreneurs nationwide through training and development opportunities.