Launch – Republic Financial institution (EC) Restricted (RBEC) is proud to announce that purposes are actually open for the third iteration of its Entrepreneurs Enterprise Builder (EBB) Programme. Launched all through the Area in 2022, the EBB is a coaching programme designed to assist Caribbean girls entrepreneurs attain the talents required to develop tech-enabled, sustainable, worthwhile enterprises.
For its third cohort, the Financial institution seeks purposes from girls entrepreneurs throughout the Caribbean area who’ve owned or operated a Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) enterprise for at the least two years and search to develop or scale up their operations.
The EBB Programme, developed and facilitated by Enterprise and Folks Improvement Associates (BPD), a regional firm providing private and enterprise improvement help, funded via the Financial institution’s Energy to Make a Distinction Programme, was specifically created with girls entrepreneurs in thoughts. The programme presents an intensive coaching and mentorship course to over 80 girls from territories throughout the Area the place Republic Financial institution operates.
Kelly Mitchell, Advertising and marketing Specialist for RBEC, defined the importance of this programme to girls within the Jap Caribbean. “The Financial institution noticed the necessity to assist develop girls in enterprise as we acknowledged that whereas they’ve many sensible concepts, they usually don’t get the help wanted to maneuver ahead. Due to this fact, we felt it crucial to offer this coaching program in order that they’ll develop their concepts into thriving companies”.
Functions for the programme opened on Worldwide Ladies’s Day (IWD), March 8, 2024. CARICOM Secretary Normal Dr Carla Barnett congratulated Republic Financial institution on championing such an initiative. Describing the programme as daring and important, she famous the parallels between the EBB and this yr’s Worldwide Ladies’s Day theme.
“The theme, “Spend money on Ladies, Speed up Progress” highlights the crucial function girls play in creating their communities and nations. Opening the way in which for extra girls to turn out to be entrepreneurs is one approach to propel the financial and social development of our nations,” she famous. “Ladies within the Caribbean have lengthy been concerned in enterprise, tiny companies specializing in self-employment to “make ends meet” via cottage industries, now often called micro-enterprises, in areas similar to agro-processing, catering, private care and buying and selling. Due to this fact, the Entrepreneurs Enterprise Builders Programme can help girls to construct scale and sustainability of their enterprise enterprises”.
The EBB goals to empower girls with enterprise expertise, together with enterprise improvement, advertising and marketing, bookkeeping, and management, permitting them to rework an concept into one thing nice. The programme will start formally in Might and run for 5 months till October 2024. The deadline for purposes is March 31, 2024.