–as 2026 series wraps up in Pakuri
THE Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce has closed out its 2026 Community Business Clinic (CBC) programme with a visit to Pakuri, St. Cuthbert’s Mission, an Arawak (Lokono) village on the Mahaica River that is Region Four’s sole Indigenous community and one of the country’s most culturally significant Amerindian settlements.
It was the eighth and final clinic of the year. Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Susan Rodrigues, joined residents and entrepreneurs at the session, part of a series the ministry says was overhauled and expanded this year to deliver more comprehensive support in a single visit.
Rather than entrepreneurs having to track down several offices across Georgetown, the clinics bring key agencies together under one roof, among them the Guyana Revenue Authority, the National Insurance Scheme, the Deeds and Commercial Registry Authority, the Guyana National Bureau of Standards, the Small Business Bureau and the Guyana Tourism Authority, covering everything from registration and compliance to financing, standards and tourism opportunities.
While in Pakuri, Minister Rodrigues highlighted the potential of community-based tourism for Indigenous and hinterland entrepreneurs, an area the village has already been building on through guesthouses, craft-making and cultural and river tours.
She also pointed eligible businesses toward financing through the Guyana Development Bank, a newly established institution created to widen access to capital for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Qualifying entrepreneurs can access loans of up to $3 million that are both interest-free and collateral-free, removing one of the biggest obstacles small businesses face in securing traditional bank financing.
Across its eight stops this year, the ministry said the CBC programme reached more than 700 participants and businesses nationwide.
“We remain committed to bringing support directly to our communities,” Minister Rodrigues said, signalling that the outreach model will continue to underpin the ministry’s work with small businesses going forward.
