AS the countdown to the sixth annual ‘We Lift’ Women’s Expo begins, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security Arianna Beharry, has revealed that more than 400 women-owned businesses have been registered for the activity which will be held this weekend.
This year, under the theme, ‘Let Her Bloom,’ the expo returns to the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, where the first iteration was held in 2021 with only 75 women.
Beharry in a recently broadcasted interview underscored the progress and growth of the expo from its inaugural launch in 2021 to present.
She stated that businesses participating in this year’s expo vary from beauty and cosmetics, to candles and soaps, fashion, agro-processing, food and beverages, and non-traditional business areas such as construction and women in transportation.
“Literally anything you’re looking for you can find it right there at We Lift and the important thing to mention, everybody that[sic] is presented at We Lift, all those exhibitors, all their products is [sic] a hundred per cent Guyanese,” she expressed.
The We Lift Expo is a step up from the year-round support given by the ministry through various training opportunities for women aiming to upskill to gain employment, or women in business. This is offered through the Guyana Women’s Leadership Institute (GWLI) at Cove and John on the East Coast of Demerara, home of the Business Incubator and the Women’s Innovation and Investment Network (WIIN).
We Lift allows women in business to gather in one space to network with investors, form bonds and connections, and meet with, and introduce their services or products to new clients.
According to Beharry, there are quite a few investors who are still here from the recently concluded Guyana Energy Conference.
She emphasised that the expo is the perfect opportunity to expose these women-led businesses to these potential partners, she said.
Providing a sneak peek into the agenda for this year’s expo, Beharry revealed that on March 6, which will be the first day of the expo, at 10:00hrs there will be an opening conference.
“So, it will look at like empowerment of teams, women in various sectors like [sic] the oil and gas sector and so forth. And you have the experts from the various areas and our sponsors as well, being a part of that panel. When that panel discussion is over, then we will have the official opening of the expo,” she said, adding:
“So, we’re looking at officially three o’clock. Just in case for any spillovers, you know how it goes. And to have the expo on the Friday to open at three o’clock and we’re going to go until about nine. But we really don’t try to set a time there because it really depends on the foot traffic,” the PS said.
For Saturday and Sunday, the expo will run as per normal, opening from 16:00hrs.
The expo is one of the ministry’s flagship programmes and it has been designed as a supportive ecosystem where women entrepreneurs can showcase products and services, build partnerships and strengthen their commercial capacities.
Officials say the programme continues to play a key role in advancing economic empowerment and gender equality by creating pathways for women-led businesses to grow and compete at higher levels, both locally and internationally.
