Acting Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Irfaan Ali said that the imminent activation of the Small Business Bureau and the attendant disbursement to the small business sector of funds from Guyana REDD+ Trust Fund created to support projects identified under the Government of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) should not be perceived as an indication that “easy money” will now be available.
“We are aware that sometimes support programmes can be perceived as opportunities to secure easy money. That is not the case. This initiative will be managed in a manner that ensures that it is sustainable, viable and profitable,” Ali said.
He told Stabroek Business that the long-awaited launch of the bureau that will herald the formal launch of the services to be provided under the programme is now imminent.
Speaking with this newspaper shortly after he had addressed a seminar staged jointly by the ministry and the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Ally said that part of the role of the bureau will be to seek to bring businesses together in order to enable them to benefit from working in clusters. “There are some distinct advantages to be derived from bringing businesses together at the community level and at various other levels and we will be seeking to exploit those advantages,” Ali said.The formal launch of the Small Business Council will bring to fruition the provisions
