º£½ÇÊÓƵ

The level playing field is "littered with obstacles" for black-run businesses and entrepreneurs, an online forum has heard.

The comments were made by Gloria Hyatt at The Nia Black Business Hub's event held on Thursday, July 8, where she detailed some of the problems that face the community in the Liverpool City Region.

The chief executive of Teach Consultancy, who was the city's first black headteacher, said that wealth disparities, difficulties in accessing financing and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic are all major obstacles in the way.

She added that a lack of knowledge around regulations and the lack of focus on business skills in schools also negatively hits the black community in Liverpool.

The CEO also called for an end to nepotism in the city's business community and for black-owned businesses to be given better opportunities to bid for contracts in Liverpool.

She added that any increase in opportunities should not be an example of tokenism, however.

The Nia Black Business Hub is Liverpool City Region’s first business incubation and support hub that focuses on supporting potential and existing black businesses and entrepreneurs. The programme pilot aims to:

• Develop a deeper understanding of the challenges that black communities face when starting or growing a business in LCR and produce a model of culturally specific business support, responding to the needs of black led businesses.

• Lead and set a standard for the engagement and support of black Businesses through listening and being directed by them.

• Create a space where black businesses can use their collective voice to shape the services they need and an inter relationship with the mainstream, business, eco system.

• Demonstrate the value of the black economy when we address the disparity in strategic action and development required to progress black business in the LCR.