WeLead founder Abbigale Loncke-Watson wants Guyanese women to share in the boom

GEORGETOWN, Guyana. When Abbigale Loncke-Watson launched the WeLead Association in 2017, she set out to create the support system she wished had existed when she began her own entrepreneurial journey.

Nearly a decade later, it has become one of Guyana’s leading platforms for women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship and leadership. As the country marks 60 years of independence amid unprecedented economic growth, Ms Loncke-Watson is preparing to welcome hundreds of women to WeLead 2026, a conference designed to make them active participants in the country’s transformation.

“WeLead is not a talk shop,” she said. “It is a room where women can gain practical tools, mentorship, connections, and real roadmaps to success.”

Melanie Fiona to speak

The keynote speaker is Melanie Fiona, the two-time Grammy Award-winning singer and entrepreneur. “There’s something powerful about returning to the country where my mother was born and witnessing today’s women not just participating in growth, but leading it,” Ms Fiona said.

Other speakers include Yvette Noel-Schure, Vindhya Persaud, Kathy Smith, Melissa Noel, Deborah Edward and Keisha Edwards.

The conference, on June 27 in Georgetown, has the theme “Guyana to the World: Women Building Global Bridges” and will bring together business leaders, entrepreneurs and policymakers from across the Caribbean and the diaspora.

‘Missed the boat’

“I don’t want any woman in Guyana to feel like she has missed the boat,” Ms Loncke-Watson said. “There are opportunities coming from every direction, and women need access to the knowledge, networks and support systems that help them move forward.”

The idea for WeLead came after she took part in the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative. “When I came back to Guyana, I realized many women didn’t have access to those same opportunities,” she said.

The organisation has since run conferences, mentorship schemes and entrepreneurship training, including programmes supported through the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs, with a focus on women in rural and hinterland communities.

Ms Loncke-Watson, a multi-sector entrepreneur, was honoured by former US president Barack Obama for the impact of her home care agency and has worked with the US State Department to train entrepreneurs across Guyana.

“We want women to understand that there is a place for them in Guyana’s future,” she said.