SGCC Member’s Feature: SGCC Celebrates Road to Growth Graduation and Women’s Entrepreneurial Milestone

September 23, 2025•2 min read

SGCC Member’s Feature: SGCC Celebrates Road to Growth Graduation and Women’s Entrepreneurial Milestone

The Suriname-Guyana Chamber of Commerce (SGCC) proudly joined in celebrating the graduation of 200 outstanding women entrepreneurs from the Road to Growth Guyana Programme, delivered by ActionINVEST Caribbean Inc. (ACI), a valued SGCC member, in partnership with the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women and funded by the ExxonMobil foundation. With this year’s cohort, the programme has now supported over 600 women since 2021, a remarkable achievement for women’s economic empowerment in Guyana.

This year marked the largest intake yet, with nine cohorts across six administrative regions: one each in Regions 2, 3, 5, 6, and 10, and four in Region 4.

The seven-week curriculum guided women through a transformative journey:

Week 1 – Vision, goals, objectives, market analysis & business positioning
Week 2 – Digital marketing for growth
Week 3 – Sales forecasting & cost planning
Week 4 – Financial statements & projections
Week 5 – Financing strategies & preparation of documents
Week 6 – Presenting to lenders/investors & managing finances
Week 7 – Balancing business and family

Learn more at: https://guyana.road2growth.org/

View more resources at: https://actioninvest.org/

The graduation ceremony featured inspiring contributions from Mrs. Cherie Blair, Founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women; H.E. Jane Miller OBS, British High Commissioner to Guyana and non-resident Ambassador to the Republic of Suriname; senior representatives of ACI; IDB Group; ExxonMobil; and programme graduates, who shared their journeys of resilience and growth.

Since 2008, the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women has supported over 300,000 women entrepreneurs in more than 100 countries, advancing its mission to build inclusive business environments where women can thrive.

SGCC extends heartfelt congratulations to the 200 graduates, and to ACI for its leadership. We also recognize the Cherie Blair Foundation for its global vision in empowering women entrepreneurs to shape resilient and inclusive economies, and the ExxonMobil Foundation for funding this transformative initiative. In the words of Her Excellency, Jane Miller OBE: “Be bold and be courageous and claim your seat!”

Note: Alongside Road to Growth, an additional 46 women completed ACI’s Bankability Fund for Women (BF4W) Mentorship Programme, supported by the IDB Lab in collaboration with the Guyana Manufacturing & Services Association (GMSA) and the Small Business Bureau, which focused on financial literacy, compliance, and networking to strengthen women-led businesses.

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