More than 700 participants and businesses nationwide have benefited from the government’s 2026 Community Business Clinic programme, which concluded on Monday with its eighth and final clinic in St. Cuthbert’s Mission, Region Four.
The initiative, led by the Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Susan Rodrigues, was expanded this year to bring a wider network of agencies directly into communities.
It gave entrepreneurs and prospective business owners access to critical services without the time and expense associated with travelling to Georgetown.
Susan Rodrigues
The engagements covered key areas including business registration, taxation, compliance, financing, standards, tourism and enterprise development, enabling residents to address several aspects of establishing or strengthening a business in a single setting.
The minister said the programme is part of the government’s effort to remove geographical barriers to accessing public services and create a more enabling environment for entrepreneurship.
“The whole idea behind the Community Business Clinics is to bring these services directly to the people, so that they do not have to spend the time and money travelling to Georgetown to access the support they need,” Minister Rodrigues said.
During her visit, the minister also pointed to the potential for community based tourism in the community, particularly through cultural experiences, local cuisine, tour guiding and other services that can transform the community’s unique assets into sustainable economic opportunities.
She encouraged residents to explore financing available through the Guyana Development Bank, including interest free and collateral free financing of up to $3 million for eligible businesses.
“We want to ensure that people in communities such as Pakuri are not only aware of the opportunities available to them, but are equipped to take advantage of those opportunities and participate meaningfully in the growth of the economy,” Minister Rodrigues said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Toshao Leroy Gonputh in an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI) described the clinic as timely and valuable, particularly given the resources residents would otherwise have to expend to access the same services outside the community.
“It was very important in many ways. For instance, the amount of time and money that they will consume if they have to go out to do those things, and those things wouldn’t be done in a day,” Gonputh said.
He said residents had long anticipated the outreach and turned out in strong numbers to make use of the services, while welcoming further engagement with the government, particularly in advancing tourism opportunities.
At St. Cuthbert’s Mission, residents received practical guidance and one on one assistance from the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), National Insurance Scheme (NIS), Deeds and Commercial Registries Authority, Local Content Secretariat, Guyana National Bureau of Standards, Small Business Bureau, Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission and Guyana Tourism Authority.