The Black Entrepreneurs Association (BEA) of the US on Tuesday met with President Irfaan Ali and raised questions as it relates to diversity, inclusion and other areas.
According to an Office of the President release the visiting BEA delegates included the Senator of Georgia State District 33, Dr Michael Rhett; Alabama State Representative, Laura Hall; South Carolina State Representative, Annie McDaniel; South Carolina State Representative John King; former Democratic member of the Georgia House of Representatives, Dee Dawkins Haigler; Human Rights Activist Dr Richard Freeman; Human Rights Activist Marcus Coleman; as well as Keith Grandberry, Keyford Langley, Quinetha Fraiser, Letron Pryce, Stacey Mollison, and Melissa Varswyk.
The president told the gathering that his government has been pursuing an agenda to improve the welfare and prosperity of all Guyanese and reaffirmed his administration’s position and intention of crafting and executing policies that will benefit all of Guyana. He assured that the government’s programmes will ensure that the vulnerable sections of society are not left out of the country’s development agenda.
“We have rolled out a number of programmes that seek to improve the living conditions, creating opportunities for every segment of the Guyanese population to advance and achieve their dreams and aspirations”, he said, according to the release.
The president told the group that the resources from the oil and gas sector will be used as an impetus to build and fortify other sectors of the economy; these include enhanced focus on food security, the services sector, manufacturing and industrial development, among others.
In turn, the BEA delegates said they were grateful for the opportunity to meet with the Head of State and members of the Cabinet and to have the opportunity to engage in the conversation around “diversity, inclusion, equity and justice, specifically as it relates to black entrepreneurs and those of African descent.”
“We are grateful that you have commissioned efforts that will unify your administration’s efforts to not only bring attention but to bring resources to your business owners; so thank you,” Frasier was quoted as saying.
The BEA currently has 300 registered members in Guyana and 300 in the UK chapter. The association highlighted that it is committed to creating a blueprint for black-owned businesses, which creates inter-generational wealth while transforming the business economy and community.
The representatives explained that they are offering their services in guidance to entrepreneurs when it comes to foundational strategies and processes within their businesses. They also expressed an interest in collaborating with the government to achieve their objectives and create the necessary mechanism to support businesses’ development.
“So part of this process is yes, we are concerned about how to get access to opportunity, but we are also aware that we have a responsibility to bring people to the table that can help us support the businesses here. That is why you see a lot of businesses around the table, and we will continue to bring and engage the Diaspora in terms of what can be done … for me I want you to understand it’s not just about what the Government can do for us, we are taking an active and proactive role in making sure that we are ready to implement and activate once an opportunity is identified … so it is a two-way street,” Mollison of the Guyana-Georgia Tourism and Business Authority explained.
The group also called attention to the ways in which the BEA can contribute to the functioning of the ‘One Guyana Commission’ by lending their professional expertise from their “talent pool” in addressing the priority areas and realising projects and programmes. Representatives also praised the Head of State for his Emancipation Day message. They also touched on the functioning of the One Guyana Commission, the President’s stance on reparations and addressing cohesion.
President Ali assured them that his government understands the potential that exists within the Diaspora, pointing out that it is a back and forth relationship that will create the important linkages. He emphasised that the Government’s agenda, even before the March 2nd, 2020 elections, included a consultative approach to development. Ali also committed to finding a mechanism through which to develop opportunities for collaboration and partnership so as to build on this initial meeting. He assured, “We don’t really define our policies by black, brown, white… our policy is to ensure that all of Guyana benefit.”
The delegation was encouraged by the president to become part of the national consultations, including Local Content consultations, so that their ideas could be included in policy formulation.
