SB: Come November, the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Guyana (WCCIG) will celebrate the second anniversary of its founding. If you had to select the organisation’s landmark accomplishment over the period of its existence what would that be? And are there any particular goals that the organisation has set itself, going forward?
WCCIG: Over the period of our existence our landmark achievements have been as follows:
￭ An increase in our membership from eighteen to thirty five last year;
￭ A soon to be launched Women Labour Participation Report.
￭ An entrepreneurial ecosystem and stakeholder mapping report.
￭ Training and Development webinars for membership.
￭ A Women and Girls Summit to commemorate International Women’s Day.
￭ Four members accepted to the Cherie Blair Foundation Mentorship Programme for Women Entrepreneurs.
￭ A recently-approved Technical Cooperation for ‘We3A – Improving access to value chains for women entrepreneurs.
The WCCIG aims to become a collective voice for women entrepreneurs and help women entrepreneurs gain access to finance and to develop confidence in utilising financial tools.
SB: There are some who may say that in creating a Women’s Chamber you have, in effect created a gender divide in the business community. How do you respond to that and what was the particular rationale behind the creation of a Women’s Chamber? The second part of the question has to do with the response of the heavily male-dominated leadership of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
WCCIG: We believe in men and women in partnership for development. In this regard we have invited men to join our Chamber. Currently we do have male members. I am sure you would agree that there is need for support and focus on the development of women entrepreneurs. Women entrepreneurship empowers women and girls to take charge of their future. It must be central to our effort to achieve gender equality locally and regionally. The issue is never about a divide it always about equity and equality.
SB: If we look closely at the three major Business Support Organisations in Guyana, the Private Sector Commission, the Guyana Manufacturing & Services Association, and the Georgetown Chamber, one does not get the impression that their mainstream agenda caters particularly for micro and to some extent small businesses. What sorts of businesses fall under your umbrella?
WCCIG: We encourage and embrace small, medium and large organisations. Because we believe in equity, we have ensured that we create a programme that targets micro and small business. Our soon to be launched entrepreneurship programme targets this particular group. Under the WE.3A project we will also be targeting micro and small enterprises.
SB: How satisfied are you that the Women’s Chamber gets the kind of recognition and support which the mainstream BSOs get and can you outline any specific areas of cooperation/support that have been forthcoming from the government?
WCCIG: We are concerned about the impact of our programmes on our membership. We have collaborated with the Cherie Blair Foundation, the IADB, WeConnect, and the University of Arizona – Thunderbird School of Business, and will continue to explore avenues for collaboration in the interest of our members. We are working hard and this brings recognition. We have been approached and engaged by the Ministry of Human Services and the Ministry of Business as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and will work closely with them in the interest of our membership.
SB: During the course of the Covid-19 pandemic the Stabroek Business has done interviews with a number of women business owners. The sense we get is that many of those businesses are struggling in this environment and are, in some instances, in need of material and other kinds of support. What is the Women’s Chamber’s sense of how women-led businesses, particularly small businesses, are faring at this time and are you satisfied that they are receiving sufficient support in their effort to survive the current crisis?
WCCIG: During the pandemic we launched a membership survey and the response reflected a negative impact of the Covid-19 on the business of our members, however, the spirit of persistence was evident from many of our members. There is a need for direct support for women owned- businesses in order to survive this crisis.
SB: How satisfied is the Women’s Chamber that women-led businesses are making the kind of mark that puts them on par with male-led businesses in terms of growth and expansion?
WCCIG: We can discuss this issue when there is equity in access to finance for women-led businesses. We must analyse this from an even platform.
SB: There are numerous women-led small businesses, including women in areas like vending, agro-processing, and catering, among others, that have shown the drive and initiative to start those businesses but need to develop the skills to grow those businesses. Is training part of the agenda of the Women’s Chamber?
WCCIG: Training and development is a significant part of our mandate and this is the reason why we have been actively engaged in the establishment of an entrepreneurship training programme. This programme is an online and offline programme targeting micro and small businesses.
SB: At the moment several businesses in Guyana are in search of Local Content opportunities that are linked to the oil & gas sector. Are Local Content opportunities on the radar of the Women’s Chamber and what might some of the areas be in which the Chamber may have an interest?
WCCIG: Yes there are. We were engaged by the government’s Local Content team and provided our feedback therein. We as an organisation are also working with our partners to clarify the opportunities for our members within the oil and gas industry as well as within other industries impacted by the economic activities of the oil and gas industry.
SB: If you visit some poor communities in Guyana you will find that the unemployment among women, particularly young women, is quite high. Is that an issue that the Women’s Chamber might be probing?
WCCIG: Poverty among women is a very important and urgent issue. It is an issue we all should be concerned about and we will continue to highlight and advocate on the issues facing women within the business community. Further, we will work with the Ministry of Human Services and lend support in whatever way we can.
SB: Our own inquiry, particularly in the agro-processing sector, has led us to discover that significant numbers of women-led small and micro businesses in Guyana, particularly in the agro-processing sector, have had to close their doors with the advent of Covid-19. Most of them are unsure as to whether they can recover in the short to medium term. Have you been able to work with these women in ways that might at least provide them with the motivation to bring their businesses back on stream?
WCCIG: Covid-19 and the social distancing protocols have prohibited us from travelling country-wide on our planned outreach programmes, however we have been using social media and traditional media to reach as many women entrepreneurs as we can. In doing this, we have been providing webinars and inspirational conversations with women leaders in an effort to inspire women entrepreneurs.
