Take advantage of Exxon’s “Greater Guyana Initiative” – GOGEC tells Guyanese

The Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC) is throwing its support behind the “Greater Guyana Initiative”, which was announced by Stabroek Block partners ExxonMobil, Hess, and CNOOC Limited to support and expand capacity building.

As part of its local content mandate, ExxonMobil Guyana, along with its Stabroek Block partners, has made a $20 billion investment in Guyanese over the next 10 years.
ExxonMobil Guyana President Alistair Routledge said on Tuesday that the investment was aimed at expanding local capacity-building efforts and promoting sustainable economic development in Guyana.
As such, the Chamber said in a statement, “This is a landmark Corporate Social Responsibility initiative for Guyana and we are anticipating this initiative will see a greater transformation for all of Guyana, businesses and the livelihood of its citizens…GOGEC is willing to work along with EXXON and its partners to implement and help businesses and the citizens of Guyana to realise the significant benefits from Greater Guyana Initiative.”
GOGEC President Manniram Prashad believes that this multi-faceted approach will not only significantly educate and grow the Guyanese workforce but also boost competitiveness of local businesses.
“We encourage Guyanese to take full advantage of this initiative to build our human capacity and capitalise on the new and expanded economic opportunities. GOGEC is the main Private Sector organisation that has been seen as the nexus between the EXXON, Guyana Private Sector [and] Government,” he said.
The investment is fully funded by the Stabroek Block operating partners and is not cost recoverable. Routledge explained that the initiative started with months of discussions with key stakeholders in order to gain an understanding of the existing capacity and the areas where these funds could make a difference as part of Guyana’s transformative journey.
He added that Exxon and its offshore co-venturers will choose capacity-building projects to fund in consultation with local, regional, and national stakeholders. These programmes are expected to be aligned with the country’s overall development objectives.
“It is a part of our long-term broad commitment to local content and responsible development of the oil and gas resources of Guyana,” he noted.
Additionally, third-party experts including Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) will be enlisted to implement initiatives and assess the programme’s effectiveness.
Already, three local entities – the University of Guyana, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Council and the Centre for Local Business Development – have received funds and are carrying out programmes as part of the Greater Guyana Initiative.
“Our goals and programmes will evolve over time and include public health initiatives and activities in each of the regions. Over the life of this innovative initiative, my colleagues and I are looking forward to sharing how these programmes and projects will benefit people in Guyana and give people the tools to access new and expanded economic activities,” Routledge had asserted.