Businesses supported by Guyana’s Centre for Local Business Development (CLBD) through its AccelerateHer and ElevateAll programs have reported annual revenue growth of up to 70%, according to a post-program impact survey shared with OilNOW on June 29.
The Centre said it has supported 117 businesses through the full AccelerateHer and ElevateAll programs over the past five years, and another 190 through the ElevateAll bootcamp.
The survey, conducted in 2025, assessed businesses that participated in the programs between 2021 and 2024.
“Based on responses from 35 businesses representing small, medium and large enterprises, participants reported annual revenue growth ranging between 20% and 70%, approximately 240 new jobs created, an increase of 175 suppliers supporting participating businesses and growth of approximately 1,100 additional monthly customers across both business-to-business and business-to-consumer markets,” the Centre disclosed.
AccelerateHer is a women-focused entrepreneurship program launched by the Centre in 2021. It helps women-owned and women-led businesses grow through business acceleration workshops, one-on-one mentoring, leadership training, peer learning, and pitch development. The program is funded through the Greater Guyana Initiative and aims to prepare participants to expand their businesses and compete for opportunities across Guyana’s economy, including the oil and gas value chain.
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ElevateAll is CLBD’s entrepreneurship program for small and medium-sized businesses. It provides business coaching, mentorship, practical training, and workshops to help entrepreneurs strengthen management skills, improve business performance, and position their companies to benefit from opportunities created by Guyana’s expanding economy, including local content opportunities in the oil and gas sector.
The organization said it regularly conducts impact assessments after participants complete the programs, focusing primarily on business capacity while also measuring revenue growth, supplier expansion, and customer gains.
“Every year, the Centre manages and monitors the success of the program (application rates, success rate, other supporting programs in the market, etc) to determine if any major adjustment in this program offering is necessary for the following year during its yearly planning period. As of date, the need for the programs still exists,” CLDB noted.
