Youth, innovation take centre stage at GGI’s Stakeholder’s Forum

The Greater Guyana Initiative (GGI) hosted its second annual Stakeholder Forum at the Guyana Marriott Hotel on October 31, bringing together beneficiaries from all 10 administrative regions for a day of reflection, dialogue, and collaboration on Guyana’s sustainable development journey. This year’s forum centred on the theme “Youth in STEM: Transforming Guyana’s Technological Landscape, Building a Solid Future for Tomorrow.” Discussions explored how ongoing investments in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) are empowering young people and shaping a more innovative, self-reliant nation.

A key feature of the event was a panel discussion featuring ExxonMobil’s Global Manager for Socio-Economic Management, Deedra Moe; Air Emissions Advisor at ExxonMobil Guyana Limited, Farah Jairam; Welding Instructor at the Leonora Technical and Vocational Training (TVET) Centre, Carlos Baird; Vice President (VP) of the University of Guyana (UG) Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), Jayda Overton; and Accountable and General Manager (GM) of the Art Williams and Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School Inc., Nalini Chanderban.
The forum also featured a STEM Mingle session, which allowed students from secondary school, TVET institutions, and the UG to engage directly with industry experts in informal tabletop discussions. These sessions encouraged mentorship, knowledge sharing, and the exploration of real-world applications of STEM disciplines. Building on the momentum of youth-driven innovation, the programme seamlessly transitioned to a broader theme, “Rooted in Community, Rising Together: Investing in Tomorrow’s Possibilities”, Under this theme, stakeholders reflected on their projects, assessed impact, and identified new opportunities for collaboration across sectors such as education, entrepreneurship, and community health. Delivering the feature address, Culture, Youth and Sport Minister, Charles Ramson Jr., underscored the importance of corporate social responsibility, noting that Guyana is undergoing positive transformation, making partnerships like the one shared with the Greater Guyana Initiative essential. From the corporate leadership perspective, President of ExxonMobil Guyana Limited, Alistair Routledge highlighted Guyana’s journey to prosperity and the role GGI continues to play in accelerating national development. “It’s about accelerating the benefits, it’s about reaching out to people where they are, to the communities around the country, and listening to them,” he said. “What we are doing with the Greater Guyana Initiative is much more than the individual programmes. We are also building a culture that will be incredibly important for the sustainable prosperity of the country.”
Adding to this, President of CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, Lian Jihong emphasised the long-term value of the partnership.
“GGI is an investment in the people, it is an investment in our future. It is building the skills, confidence and opportunities that will last for generations,” he said.
The initiative’s tangible impact was further illustrated by Socio-Economic Manager at ExxonMobil Guyana Limited, Lorna Carlson who highlighted the recently launched FLOW Project. This initiative aims to provide clean drinking water to an estimated 58,000 students by 2029.
Managing Director of the Guyana Marine Conservation Society (GMCS) and GGI implementing partner, Annette Arjoon-Martins expressed gratitude to GGI for its support to the work the society has undertaken with communities in the Barima-Mora Passage through the Sustainability Enablers Project and the Green Enterprise Support Project. “Our GGI partnerships brought water-harvesting capacity to the Warrau communities there, provided solar lights, and supported our marine research centre located in Imbotero,” she noted.
The GGI is supported by the Stabroek Block co-venturers ExxonMobil Guyana Limited, Hess Guyana Exploration Limited, and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited.
The initiative supports capacity-building programmes across Guyana over a 10-year period, focusing on education and training, economic development, and community health. Through these investments, GGI aims to strengthen the local workforce, enhance the competitiveness of Guyanese businesses and lay the foundation for sustained economic growth.