Somewhere in a Guyanese classroom, there’s a 10-year-old with an idea that could one day become a business – and the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) wants to make sure that idea gets a chance to grow.
The Chamber has launched its inaugural Youth Entrepreneur Conference, a new flagship initiative designed to introduce young Guyanese to entrepreneurship, innovation and emerging business opportunities from an early age. Themed “Igniting Guyana’s Next Generation of Entrepreneurs,” the conference will be held on Saturday, September 12, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, and is expected to draw between 100 and 150 young people between the ages of 10 and 17.
In a statement released by the GCCI, President Kathy Smith said the initiative reflects the Chamber’s belief that preparing Guyana’s future business leaders has to start long before they enter the workforce.
“Somewhere in a classroom in Guyana today is a 10-year-old with an idea. That idea may one day become a business, employ people, solve a problem in a community or even become one of the companies that helps to shape Guyana’s economy twenty years from now,” Smith said. “But ideas need opportunity. If we want Guyana to have more entrepreneurs, innovators, creators and business leaders tomorrow, we have to begin exposing our young people to those possibilities today.”
Rather than a traditional sit-and-listen conference, the program has been built as an interactive experience. Participants will rotate through workshops covering the Orange Economy, Tourism and Hospitality, Agro-processing, AI-Augmented Entrepreneurship, and Marketing and Public Relations – a deliberate mix, Smith said, of traditional and emerging sectors meant to broaden young people’s sense of what entrepreneurship can look like.
“The entrepreneur of tomorrow will operate in a very different environment from the entrepreneur of yesterday. Technology is changing business, creativity is creating new industries, and opportunities are emerging across sectors. We want our young people to begin seeing themselves as part of that future,” she said.
Beyond exposure to specific industries, the conference is designed to build confidence, creativity, financial literacy and problem-solving skills, while introducing participants to the basics of identifying opportunities, developing ideas and creating value.
To widen access, GCCI is using a two-pronged approach: a public registration form open to any eligible young person, alongside a partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce and the Ministry of Education to help extend the program’s reach across a broader cross-section of the country. The initiative is also being backed by sponsors and business partners who have contributed funding, donations, services and other in-kind support.
“Our young people must know that their future is not limited to finding employment. They can create employment. They can build businesses. They can innovate. They can export. They can become employers and industry leaders,” Smith said.
The Chamber says this is only the beginning – the conference is envisioned as a recurring, flagship youth initiative that will grow in scale in the years ahead.
Students are encouraged to attend in their school uniforms. Eligible participants aged 10 to 17 can register at https://forms.gle/YUYvbM6K4DLVi5vm6, with parents and guardians encouraged to complete registration on their behalf.