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CAPACITY BUILDING & INSTSTUTIONAL STRENGTHENING

Mr. Rod Henson – Country Manager – Mr. Shyam Nokta – Mr. Patrick Henry – Project Director –
Esso Exploration & Production Ltd. GMSA President Center for Local Business Development

ExxonMobil’s local Business Development

Centre to boost oil and gas competitiveness

…GMSA tours facility, scouts opportunities for broader

capacity building

nited States oil giant ExxonMobil’s local Business become more competitive in the oil and gas sector as well as
Development Centre was established to boost the level across the broader economy. The idea is that there is a market-
Uof competitiveness of Guyana’s local private sector while wide understanding of what the sector is and that small and
providing businesses with unfettered access to corporate medium sized enterprises are qualified to participate effectively
support services that could see them improving not only their in the sector as well as to ensure that there are reliable local
marketability, as far as the emerging oil and gas sector is suppliers for ExxonMobil,” he posited before explaining that
concerned, but their overall profitability. initially it was also set up to look at a number of broad sectors
in the economy and these include mining, agro-processing,
As a result, a team, which comprised approximately 40 members information, communication and technology, and tourism and
of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), hospitality, since these would be directly impacted by the oil and
were given a familiarisation tour of the modern Business Centre, gas industry.
which is located on South Road, Georgetown on August 15, 2017.
The Centre also offers offshore oil and gas literacy courses
The Centre’s Project Director, Patrick Henry, who engaged directly and these are divided into four sessions: local content, health
with the GMSA delegation on behalf of ExxonMobil, shared safety, the environment and procurement for local suppliers. It
details about the Centre’s operations and focus as he edified the also boasts a Supplier Registration Portal, which is a business-
private sector officials about the prospects that would allow the friendly initiative that would allow the Centre to interact with
company to contribute to the development of the sector. local businesses on a daily basis to identify their training needs
Henry explained that the Centre offered tailored coaching, and to tailor courses to suit those needs.
access to financial support services, and business-to-business
networking opportunities. “We will start in the regions through the IPED office and business
associations there and really trying to get businesses outside
“The Centre was established to help Guyanese companies of Georgetown to understand the opportunities. We have a

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