In late October, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) launched its transformative Micro Women Entrepreneur Learning Centre, aiming to support and empower women across Guyana in growing their businesses through training, mentorship, and access to resources.
The centre, located at GCCI’s headquarters in Georgetown, was officially commissioned on October 28 by Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha. It is supported by partners such as the Ministry of Agriculture, the Food and Agriculture Organisation, and international agencies.
In a recent sit-down interview with OilNOW, GCCI President Kathy Smith shared that the initiative came from collaboration within the Chamber’s Agriculture Committee. “The Micro Women Entrepreneur Learning Centre is a team effort at the GCCI, particularly through our Agri Committee, which is chaired by our Junior Vice President Brian Edwards, who has been walking Guyana, supporting women in agri spaces from Region One to Region Ten.”
Smith explained that many women farmers struggled to handle surplus produce. “The cry has always been, I’m good at planting, I can reap, I can sell, but then my surplus would have to go to waste because I don’t know what to do with it, and nobody wants to buy it,” she explained.
The Learning Centre aims to change that by providing training in packaging, branding, standards, finance management, and negotiation. “We want our agro-processors, particularly those women, to be rewarded for what they’re doing,” Smith said. “We want them now to use those surpluses and start to package them, process, and put them on shelves in local supermarkets. But we also want them to think beyond, to get them into the Caribbean, European and North American markets.”
The Ministry of Agriculture has provided access to dehydration plants, cold storage, and warehouse facilities, while the Ministry of Human Services has pledged support for expanding the programme to 100 women.
Smith emphasized that the centre is open to all women entrepreneurs, not only GCCI members. “It’s not just for women who are members of the GCCI. Any female in Guyana who is doing business in the agri space, this is a place for you,” she said.
Although its focus is on agriculture, Smith said the centre will welcome women from other sectors, including construction, catering, logistics, and health and safety. “If a female in construction walks up the stairs and says, can you assist me with a business plan? There’s no way we would turn her back.”
Smith said the GCCI hopes the centre will create long-term impact by making training accessible and inclusive. “We just want to package it for them and ensure that it can be better,” she said.
