The Centre for Local Business Development on July 15, 2021, launched its ‘Accelerate Her’ and the ‘Cherie Blair Foundation for Women – Road to Growth’ programmes which are geared towards building the capacity and marketability of women-led businesses in Guyana.
Director of the CLBD, Dr. Natasha Gaskin- Peters told reporters on Thursday the two initiatives are being launched under the banner of the organisation’s ‘Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme.’
The Cherie Blair Foundation program is being funded by the ExxonMobil Foundation while the Accelerate-Her program is being funded under the ‘Greater Guyana Initiative’, a project of ExxonMobil Guyana and co-venturers, Hess and CNOOC. Both programmes are available free of cost to participants.
Dr. Gaskin- Peters noted that under the ‘Accelerate Her Programme’, the Centre will target women owners, operators and managers from across all sectors, to help them to build their leadership skills as well as business skills as entrepreneurs. It will target 35 women in the first tranche.
“This programme targets women in all sectors so it is not focused on the oil and gas sector or the mining sector or agricultural sector only. It is focused on all sectors,” she said. “The Centre is working to build the capacity of women of all sectors. The Accelerate Her Programme is designed to enable the acceleration of local women led businesses. It will provide one-on-one advisory services to them. We will be linking them with mentors, we will help them to pitch their companies more and really fostering a peer learning and peer supportive environment for those businesses,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Cherie Blair Foundation’s ‘Road to Growth’ Programme, the Director said, is a highly successful seven weeks programme that is geared towards taking women entrepreneurs to the next level. It combines in-classroom training as well as the online training which has been specially developed by the Foundation. Women in several countries across the globe, including Nigeria, Kenya, Mexico, Indonesia as well as Vietnam are already benefitting from the programme.
Ms. Cherie Blair, Founder of the organisation, said that she is excited that the programme is expanding and will benefit women across Guyana.
“I am delighted than the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women is expanding its work and delivering entrepreneurship training programmes in Guyana for the first time. When women entrepreneurs are able to fulfil their potential, everyone stands to benefit, communities prosper, economies grow and the future can be transformed,” she shared.
Dr. Gaskin- Peters noted that the call for applications has now been opened for both programmes and deadline for the submission is August 13, 2021. Persons wishing to apply can visit the Centre’s website at http://centreguyana.com/wep/.
The Centre will also host two information sessions on July 25, 2021 and August 5, 2021 to answer questions and queries from potential participants. The programmes will officially commence in September, 2021.
Since its inception in 2017, the CLBD has been working to meet the demands of Guyanese businesses by offering training, mentorship, local business development services, professional networking and policy advocacy.
