Oil and Gas Corner at national libraries to inspire new generations – Minister Singh

– as 1st project launches at New Amsterdam Library

The introduction of an Oil and Gas Corner at the National Library locations across the country has the potential to inspire generations of Guyanese, especially young people, to join the burgeoning industry. This is according to Senior Minister with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, on Saturday at the launch of the new National Library Oil and Gas Corner held at the New Amsterdam National Library, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) – an ExxonMobil Guyana Limited initiative in collaboration with the Government of Guyana. A major feature of the new Oil and Gas Corner is an exact replica of the One Guyana Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel that operates offshore in the Stabroek Block, along with educational materials designed to make learning about this complex national development process more accessible within a public learning space. This initiative is expected to be replicated across several branch libraries, including the National Library in Georgetown. In his address, Dr Singh pointed to the potential that the new library corner holds in educating and inspiring young people about the oil and gas sector. He said these corners, which showcase the seabed and subsea operations, will serve as the first point of direct connection between young Guyanese or even adults who were not previously familiar with the oil and gas industry. “Being able to see the audiovisual displays, the visual content, etc., that will be there and available to visitors, these corners have the potential to be the place in which a whole generation of young Guyanese people will be introduced to the oil and gas industry… Anybody can go on the internet and perhaps use Google search, but you have here, in real life, a three-dimensional representation of what an actual FPSO looks like.”

Inspiring a generation
“And I know that a lot of people…a lot of young people will see in 3D form for the very first time what you and what the oil and gas industry in Guyana looks like, in corners like this. And they have the potential to inspire a whole generation and even more than a whole generation,” the Minister stated. According to Minister Singh, it is the vision of the Government and President Dr Irfaan Ali to have as much local participation in the industry and build local capacity so that Guyanese can eventually lead the sector. This oil and gas library corner, he noted, serves as a medium to ensure citizens, especially students, are equipped with not just a clear understanding of Guyana’s oil and gas sector but the vast opportunities that are available to them. As such, Dr Singh encouraged young people to explore the possibilities of the oil and gas industry and to take full advantage of the resources available at the library. “But we want as many Guyana’s people to understand that that is a trajectory that is now available to them. And I look forward to the day when I look forward to the day when we will see young Guyana’s people assuming senior roles in the company and in the industry. And who knows, some of them might be inspired, might have their first introduction to the oil and gas industry and might be inspired in corners like this. And so this way, this initiative is an incredibly important initiative… I want to urge that we bring in as many young people and we bring them on tours.

We explain to them, we play the video, we have some speakers speak to them about the possibilities, so that we take full advantage of this facility… I anticipate the visit will open up a lot of possibilities and represent an important investment in introducing young people to the oil and gas industry, the opening of their minds,” he noted. The Finance Minister went on to underscore the Government’s commitment to expanding access to knowledge and strengthening public education. He highlighted that the launch of this project in Berbice is especially relevant given that Berbice is being positioned to be a major player in the oil industry with plans to lay gas pipelines in the region and the Guyana Technical Training College Incorporated (GTTCI) being housed in Port Mourant on the Corentyne. The GTTCI facility, which trains persons in various fields relating to the oil and gas sector, is being funded by ExxonMobil and the United States (US)-based oil major plants to make it one of its major deep-sea training facilities that will be opened up to persons from other countries in the future.
President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge who also delivered remarks at Saturday’s launch of the oil and gas library corner explained that the project is aimed at bringing to life what is done in the industry to make every person in Guyana see and educate communities of what is happening in the industry offshore.
“It is what I expect to see in libraries like this, the bringing to life what we do, and our passion for what we do and making sure what we do is done safe so I am really excited to be here,” he added as he thanked Government, the National Library of New Amsterdam and the Region for their involvement in pulling the project together.
Also in attendance at the launch today was Regional Executive Officer (REO) of Region Six Narindra Persaud.