Guyana’s first ever Youth Business Summit commenced today

DPI, Guyana, Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Over a hundred young entrepreneurs are pitching ideas at the Youth Business Summit to win funding to establish and expand their businesses.

Mulvany Laud and her business partner Nora Patterson from Silverhill, Region 10 are seeking funding to expand their venture, N&L Cassava Indigenous Products. Laud said she hopes that the summit will educate them on business practices that could help them expand their business.

She explained that the business “is an indigenous product and we plan on producing products on a larger scale; more locally and internationally.”

Peter Persaud and Quincy Anderson, both small business owners looking to expand, intend to take advantage of opportunities at the summit.

“I think the summit is a good initiative and I am looking forward to more such summits in the future. I encourage all young entrepreneurs to begin their business – start small and let it grow” Anderson stated.

Persaud explained that the summit will enable them to network and learn from other professionals.

Minister of Social Cohesion with responsibility for Youth, Dr. George Norton said the summit signals Guyana’s move in the right direction to empower young people to be young innovative entrepreneurs

According to the Minister, fostering young entrepreneurs “means encouraging ideas that are innovative and developmental for your communities… we want to equip the youths with all the tools needed for them to turn the ideas that they might have created over the years, the dreams they might have, their ambition into reality.”

The youth participants were also called upon to use the business summit to change the business and employment landscape of Guyana for the betterment of all.

Similar sentiments were also echoed by Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin. He told the participants that owning their own businesses requires more than just self-employment. “It involves becoming the employer and it involves you being responsible for sustaining not just yourself and your family but the family of your employees… we support responsible business as we want to see the creation of a new culture of business in Guyana. We want to see successful young people becoming successful young businessmen and women,” The minister said.

The summit is part of National Youth Week 2018 which is being observed under the theme “Empowering young people to foster national and community development through innovation.”

 

By: Isaiah Braithwaite

Photos by: Keno George