Written by Mark Murray
With over 58 booths at the Pegasus Hotel, this year marks the second annual ‘Women in Business, Expo’.
The event is now an annual feature of the Sonia Noel Foundation for Creative Arts (SNFCA), in collaboration with the Women’s Association for Sustainable Development. The two-day expo ends today (March 26, 2017).
During the opening of the exposition, Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally said: “women who are managing to juggle a hectic family life; carrying responsibilities or academic study, while running their businesses, are truly inspirations to their families, to their friends, their employees, particularly younger women.”
However, the Minister did admit that there are still cultural and institutional barriers that exist within society and can impede women from achieving their full potential.
“If women are healthy and educated, their families will thrive. If women have a chance to work and earn as full and equal partners in society then families will thrive and when families thrive, communities and nations will thrive,” added Minister Ally.
SNFCA Chair, Sonia Noel, encouraged the women to aim for ‘relationship capital’ in addition to having a positive attitude to boost their succession level.
“We (women exhibitors) all have to grow, we have talented people in here, talented people all over the world. But don’t tell yourself talent is all. It is not, without the right attitude, it’s not going to take you anywhere. So, I always encourage people to be blessed with the talent but don’t think you ‘all of that’ just with the talent, it’s the attitude that will get you there,” explained Ms. Noel.
This year’s event also featured several motivational speakers on ways the women can capitalise on networking opportunities, vital for the development of women in business and also on a personal level.
According to the Chair, the mission of SNFCA is to create access for talented individuals, not only in Guyana but through the wider Caribbean.
During the upcoming weekend, several of the exhibitors will he heading to neighbouring Suriname to participate in the 2017 United Business fair.
