June 25, 2026 | La Cariébaña News
Region 3, Guyana — In a country where access to quality professional education has historically been uneven, one institution is quietly doing something significant. MJM Accounting and Management Institute Inc., based in Region 3 (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), has emerged as one of Guyana’s most active bridges between formal accounting education and real-world youth economic empowerment — and its momentum is only picking up.
The institute, founded and led by Mark A. Hammichand (BSc Hons, MBA, FCCA, CPA, CGA, CA, CIA, CCFO), Joshua E. Hammichand (FCCA, CIA, CRMA, MBA), and Melessia Hammichand, holds the distinction of being an ACCA Gold Approved Learning Partner — the highest tier of recognition granted by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the world’s leading professional accountancy body with members across 180 countries.
That credential matters. Not every institution earns Gold status, and fewer still in the Caribbean have maintained it while simultaneously expanding community partnerships. MJM has done both.
What Did MJM Accomplish at the 2026 GOAL Graduation?
This week, MJM’s commitment to accessible education produced its most visible result yet: a cohort of students crossed the stage at the Guyana Online Learning Academy’s (GOAL) 4th Annual Graduation Ceremony, completing ACCA qualifications through a partnership that has reshaped how Region 3 residents access professional credentials.
GOAL, led by Dr. Jacob Opadeyi and supported by the Government of Guyana, provides government-funded scholarship pathways for Guyanese students to pursue internationally recognised qualifications. MJM’s role within that ecosystem is that of a tuition partner — preparing students not just to sit ACCA examinations, but to pass them and carry those qualifications into careers in accounting, finance, audit, and business leadership.
The numbers point to what comes next. MJM has projected more than 100 additional GOAL graduates from its programme by the time the 5th Annual Graduation arrives in 2027. That represents a substantial pipeline of qualified, credentialed Guyanese professionals entering the labour market from Region 3 — a region historically underserved relative to Georgetown.
Interested in a GOAL Scholarship? Apply at govofguyana.smapply.io and pursue your ACCA qualification through MJM.
How Is MJM Engaging With ACCA’s Global Leadership?
Beyond the classroom, MJM has been working at the policy level. The institute’s founders recently participated in a high-level ACCA stakeholder meeting in Guyana, sitting with the President of ACCA and the Head of ACCA Caribbean. The agenda: ACCA’s thought leadership report, Career Paths Reimagined: The Changing World of Work, which examines how automation, AI, and shifting business models are redefining what the accounting profession demands.
For MJM, that conversation was more than ceremonial. The Hammichands represent a firm that must continuously adapt its curriculum to ensure students graduate into a profession that is changing faster than most training programmes can keep pace with. Being invited into that room signals that MJM is recognised as more than a local provider — it has standing at the regional conversation.
How Does MJM Support the R3YBA in Region 3?
What distinguishes MJM from many professional training institutions is where its commitment extends beyond the classroom. The institute has become a consistent and prominent supporter of the Region 3 Youth Business Alliance (R3YBA) — the Region 3 Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s own initiative to develop young professionals through civic and business programming, and the first of its kind launched by any regional chamber in Guyana.
The R3YBA’s origins are tied directly to the people inside the Hammichand family. During his tenure as Treasurer of the R3CCI, Joshua E. Hammichand actively supported and championed the idea of establishing a junior chamber for Region 3. That advocacy, sustained from within the chamber’s leadership, helped lay the groundwork for what became the R3YBA — and the response was immediate. Over 200 young people, ages 16–30, applied to join within the initial period, a number that speaks to the pent-up appetite for exactly this kind of structure in Region 3. Theon Alleyne, then Secretary of R3CCI and now its Vice President, speaking at the EconoME Business Conference, described R3YBA as the first of its kind launched by any regional chamber in Guyana — a designation that carries weight in a national chamber landscape where most youth initiatives remain informal.
MJM’s support of the R3YBA reflects an understanding that financial literacy and professional accounting knowledge are not abstract. They are the practical infrastructure that allows young businesses to survive, scale, and compete. R3YBA members, many of them building first ventures in a region increasingly touched by Guyana’s oil economy, gain access through their connection to MJM to something the chamber itself cannot always provide directly: structured professional financial education and credentialing pathways.
Interested in joining R3YBA? Sign up at r3cci.org/junior-chamber — open to ages 16–30.
What Was the EconoME Conference and Why Does It Matter for Youth?
The alignment between MJM, R3YBA, and R3CCI’s broader mission was on clear display at the EconoME Business Conference, held April 25, 2026 at the West Central Mall Movie Theatre in Leonora. Organised by the EconoME team in collaboration with R3CCI and themed "Untapped Waters: Investment Opportunities in Region 3," EconoME brought together businesses, policymakers, and R3YBA members to explore real investment pathways in Region 3.
Sessions included presentations from the Guyana Development Bank and information on practical access to capital — exactly the kind of financial intelligence that connects directly to what MJM teaches in its classrooms. The conference was not a networking event with speeches. It was a deliberate effort to move young Region 3 entrepreneurs closer to the institutional resources that could fund and support their ideas.
It was at EconoME that Theon Alleyne, then Secretary of R3CCI (now Vice President), publicly named R3YBA as Guyana’s first chamber-originated junior body, situating it in the national conversation about youth economic participation at precisely the moment when Region 3’s development profile is rising.
What Is the BRAVE Centre at West Central Mall?
Region 3 has also been home to another first. Guyana’s inaugural BRAVE Centre, established by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security (MHSSS), is located on the second floor of West Central Mall in Leonora. Designed to provide empowerment, healing, and safe spaces for men, it is the first facility of its kind in the country.
The BRAVE Centre sits alongside the Government of Guyana Service Centre at West Central Mall — a cluster of public services that includes passport applications, birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) transactions, and national E-ID registration. Together, these facilities position West Central Mall as more than a commercial venue. Under the leadership of Managing Director Bhabita Albert — who is simultaneously the President of R3CCI — the mall has become a genuine public-services and community development hub for the residents of Essequibo Islands-West Demerara. That same leadership ethos drives R3CCI’s partnership with organisations like MJM and its investment in the R3YBA.
Is the ACCA Qualification Only for Aspiring Accountants?
One detail from MJM’s recent communications deserves attention. In describing their programmes, the institute made a point that cuts against the common assumption that accounting qualifications are only for aspiring accountants.
That framing is deliberate and important. It positions MJM not as a narrow professional credentialing shop but as a financial education resource for the broader workforce — which aligns directly with what R3YBA needs for its members. Running a business, managing a budget, reading a balance sheet, understanding a cash flow statement: these are not skills reserved for chartered accountants. They are survival skills for anyone operating in a commercial environment.
Learn more about ACCA qualifications and what they cover on the ACCA global website.
Region 3’s Quiet Force in Professional Education
Guyana’s economic narrative in 2026 remains dominated by offshore oil production, Georgetown’s development boom, and national-level policy. The regional story — what is actually happening in Essequibo Islands-West Demerara for ordinary families, young professionals, and small business owners — receives considerably less coverage.
MJM Accounting and Management Institute Inc. represents that quieter story. A family-founded institution that holds global accreditation, sends students to national graduation ceremonies, sits in meetings with international professional bodies, helped birth the first chamber-originated youth alliance in Guyana, and continues to show up for the organisations doing the organising work at the community level.
There is no single dramatic moment here. Just a sustained pattern of investment in young people, in professional standards, and in a Region that deserves to produce more than it has historically been given the infrastructure to produce. For those interested in GOAL scholarship programmes or ACCA qualifications through MJM, visit mjmaccountingandmanagementinstitute.online.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is MJM Accounting and Management Institute?
MJM Accounting and Management Institute Inc. is an ACCA Gold Approved Learning Partner based in Region 3 (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Guyana. It offers ACCA professional qualifications and financial training in partnership with the Guyana Online Learning Academy (GOAL).
Who founded MJM Accounting and Management Institute?
MJM was founded by Mark A. Hammichand (FCCA, CPA, CGA, CA, CIA, CCFO), Joshua E. Hammichand (FCCA, CIA, CRMA, MBA), and Melessia Hammichand.
What is the GOAL scholarship and how do I apply?
The GOAL (Guyana Online Learning Academy) scholarship is a government-funded programme that covers the cost of internationally recognised qualifications, including ACCA. Apply at govofguyana.smapply.io.
What is the R3YBA?
The Region 3 Youth Business Alliance (R3YBA) is the R3CCI’s junior chamber initiative — the first of its kind launched by a regional chamber in Guyana. It focuses on youth entrepreneurship, business development, and civic leadership for young people in Essequibo Islands-West Demerara. Sign up at r3cci.org/junior-chamber.
What is the EconoME conference?
EconoME is R3CCI’s business conference focused on investment opportunities in Region 3. The 2026 edition was held at West Central Mall Movie Theatre in Leonora and featured R3YBA members alongside business leaders and policymakers. Read the La Cariébaña News coverage.
What is an ACCA Gold Approved Learning Partner?
Gold status is the highest accreditation tier awarded by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) to tuition providers. It signifies exceptional quality of instruction and student support. Learn more at accaglobal.com.
La Cariébaña News covers business, education, and community development across the Caribbean and its diaspora.