Road to Finance in Guyana

With the support of our partners, the ExxonMobil Foundation and ActionINVEST Caribbean Inc., we’ve been delivering our Road to Finance programme in Guyana since 2022. 

Women-owned small and medium sized enterprises in Guyana see financing as a major need to grow and sustain their businesses. In fact, our market assessment identified that 80% of Guyanese women entrepreneurs had a goal of to growing their businesses and of that 80% majority, 40% said financial inputs were needed to make growth possible. In 2021, the four major Guyanese financial institutions reported that none of their lending schemes had been specifically designed for women’s needs. This, along with gender stereotypes, can prevent women from accessing the finance they need to support their business. 

Our Road to Finance programme supports ambitious women in Guyana to build their skills and confidence in order to successfully secure finance, grow their businesses and achieve their potential. Through four weeks, with additional self-paced learning online, women can access step by step guidance on how to get the finance they need for their businesses. 

This year, we’re on a mission to reach even more women by expanding the programme to more remote areas. 

78 Guyanese women entrepreneurs have participated in the programme since 2022. So far, we’ve seen great success: