By Kiana Wilburg
CEO of Guyana Energy Conference & Supply Chain Expo
With Guyana’s oil and gas industry fuelling an era of explosive growth, its women must be given opportunities to be on the frontline of that transformation. This is the viewpoint of distinguished King’s Counsel and renowned advocate for women’s entrepreneurship, Lady Cherie Blair, CBE.
During her inaugural appearance on the Energy Perspectives Podcast, powered by the Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo, the founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women was keen to note her support for women taking their place in Guyana’s economic revolution.
She said industry stakeholders and policy leaders must all play a role in ensuring an enabling environment is created for women. Importantly, Lady Blair underscored the importance of women standing in their purpose, being confident in their abilities to achieve their dreams, and supporting their fellow sisters so that they too can climb the ladder of success.
“It’s very important to not only pay back, but also to pay forward I think and don’t be afraid to ask for support because when women come together, they are a force to be reckoned with,” the Human Rights lawyer said.
Mrs Blair noted that this very philosophy is one of the unbreakable threads that binds her foundation which was established in 2008 to help women realise their true potential through capacity building, improving access to capital and building confidence.
In fact, Lady Blair said her foundation is interested in expanding its Mentoring Women in Business Programme in Guyana.
“Our mentoring platform is a global one and it’s based on the internet. It enables you to have this secret weapon, this invisible friend who’s there in the background, just encouraging you to understand you can do it.” According to the foundation’s website, the Mentoring Women in Business initiative was born from belief in the power of mentoring, in the role technology can play in building connections, and in community as a powerful force for change. It has supported over 6,000 women entrepreneurs as mentees.
The Cherie Blair Foundation has brought its mentorship programme to Guyana which aligns with its overall vision to ensure one million women can access business opportunities by 2030.
Providing an update on the progress made thus far, Mrs Blair said, “So far, we’ve reached 250,000 women so we’re not doing too badly. But I’m very proud in particular of the contribution that Guyana has made to that figure and the work that my foundation has been doing these last three years here in this country. It has been very, very important to us.”
She continued, “I’m very proud to say that one in 25 women in Guyana use our Her Venture app, which is a mobile app, free to use and download. It teaches women skills, helps them build their confidence and gives them that basic business training…”
During her time in Guyana, Mrs Blair was able to witness and celebrate the graduation of 150 women entrepreneurs from her foundation’s ‘Road to Growth’ programme. The implementation of this initiative was made possible through ACTIONINVEST Caribbean Inc., in partnership with the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women and with funding from the ExxonMobil Foundation.
Since its inception in 2021, the programme has been a beacon of empowerment for women entrepreneurs in Guyana, providing them with essential business development and financial literacy skills. Mrs Blair said this year’s cohort marks a significant achievement, reflecting the ongoing commitment to fostering women’s entrepreneurship in the region.
As Guyana continues to use its new found oil wealth to address challenges in health, education and other industries, Mrs Blair appealed for all industry stakeholders to bear in mind that oil and gas is not the “be all, end all.” She urged that Guyana continues on the pathway of ensuring that its hydrocarbons translate to real economic development.
The King’s Counsel also noted that Guyana has already come a long way on the tables of economic growth.
“…Guyana has gone well over 100 paces… In 2021 it was ranked 150 out of 156 OECD countries in terms of economic gender equality. Now, it’s ranked 47,” Mrs Blair said.
The women’s advocate alluded that this is a clear indication that local authorities are on the right track and encouraged them to continue creating an enabling environment which ensures women are prepared to be on the frontline of Guyana’s explosive growth.