US companies not just after profits but create opportunities – Amb Theriot

–Says over US$42B invested in Guyana

Hailing the contributions companies from the United States (US) make to the Guyanese economy, US Ambassador to Guyana Nicole Theriot says that these businesses are not just here for profits but are also creating opportunities for Guyanese. She made these remarks at a reception to celebrate 250 years of American Independence Day hosted by the US Embassy in Georgetown on Thursday evening.
“US business, at its best, does not just create profit. It creates opportunity,” Ambassador Theriot stated while speaking about enterprise relations with Guyana. In fact, she pointed to oil major ExxonMobil, which has hired more than 5000 Guyanese workers and, together with its affiliates, approved investments of more than US$42 billion in Guyana – roughly five times the size of the Guyanese economy.
“US companies are not here to extract and leave like some other countries. They are here for the long haul – training Guyanese workers and investing in a Guyana that will be even stronger a generation from now than it is today,” the US diplomat stated. ExxonMobil, as the operator, along with its co-venturers Hess and CNOOC, is producing oil in the prolific Stabroek Block offshore Guyana, where some 11 billion barrels of oil equivalent have been discovered.
Over the years, ExxonMobil and its partners have invested more than US$200 million in human resource development and education in Guyana, including the US$100 million 10-year STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) initiative that was launched this year to train teachers, update school curriculums and build long-term local talent, as well as the US$100 million Greater Guyana Initiative (GGI) focused on workforce and capacity building and improving local health and education.
A key feature of Exxon’s investments in local capacity building is the establishment of the Guyana Technical Training College (GTTCI) at Port Mourant, Berbice. The GTTCI is an advanced facility that trains and certifies Guyanese workers in mechanical, electrical and process operations. Moreover, Guyana’s oil-and-gas employees benefitted from receiving over 370,000 hours of leadership, technical and professional, health, safety and security training. Apart from Exxon, there are a number of US companies that are operating in Guyana, both within the local burgeoning oil and gas industry as well as other thriving and expanding sectors across the country.

Healthcare
In addition to enterprise, US companies have also been integrally involved in Guyana’s efforts to enhance and modernise healthcare delivery. Currently, the New York-based Mount Sinai Health System is working with the Guyanese government on a national healthcare initiative to deliver world-class services to every Guyanese citizen by 2030, with a heavy focus on digital health, cancer care, and women’s and children’s health.
Meanwhile, 19Labs is bringing telemedicine, smart diagnostic tools, and drone delivery of medication and supplies to more than 80 remote communities. Additionally, institutions like Bechtel, Northwell Health, Lindsayca and the University of Miami are helping build the infrastructure that will define Guyana’s future.
According to the US Ambassador, “US companies come to Guyana because they see what we see: a country with extraordinary potential and a government committed to smart, strategic, sustainable development and, most importantly, to its people.”
In fact, President Dr Irfaan Ali, during his featured remarks at the reception on Thursday evening, noted that the partnership between Guyana and the US is at its strongest ever – something that is demonstrated in a number of areas of cooperation, such as healthcare.
“Our healthcare system has been revolutionised in profound ways, not only in equipment and buildings but also in technology, standards, regulations, and training. Powered by Mount Sinai and Northwell, our entire emergency medical system is being reorganised and rebuilt by Northwell, not for today’s standards, not to catch up with anyone, but to be built for what will be required by tomorrow’s standards. That is what we are building,” the Guyanese leader noted of the collaborations with these US companies. On the other hand, health engagement between the two countries also extends beyond enterprise.
In March of this year, US Southern Command’s Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) completed its third mission to Guyana. During this exercise, some 76 US military medical professionals worked alongside Guyanese counterparts in six regional hospitals, treating nearly 3000 patients. “Our doctors shared advanced surgical techniques with Guyanese surgeons – procedures performed here for the very first time, literally helping blind people see. Those skills stay here. That knowledge belongs to Guyana now,” Ambassador Theriot stated.