ExxonMobil Guyana says it will continue to play a major role in the development of local content in the South American country as first oil approaches. The company reiterated this at a time when multiple potential developments are expected from discoveries offshore to date that amount to more than 5 billion barrels of recoverable oil.
Speaking at the Liza Phase 1 Supplier Development Forum held on December 3-4 at the Guyana Marriott Hotel, the company’s Senior Director, Public and Government Affairs, Deedra Moe, told OilNOW that these events, which the company holds around the world, play a key role in helping local businesses understand the needs of the industry.
“This was designed to be able to address some of the needs and wants that the Guyanese companies were interested in,” she said. Moe added that the opportunity for ExxonMobil’s Prime Contractors and Guyanese businesses to meet face-to-face “would be extremely beneficial for not only Guyanese companies but also those contractors that are going to need people to help supply them going forward.”
Reflecting on the hundreds of Guyanese companies that have registered on ExxonMobil’s Centre for Local Business Development’s (CLBD) Supplier Registration Portal, the official said as a result of the work of the Centre some of these companies have secured contracts and improved the competitiveness of their business. “We hope this is just another catalyst for continued development in this area and we’re going to be looking forward to continuing to work with local businesses through the Centre, and directly, moving forward,” she stated.
CLBD’s Senior Business Specialist, Natasha Gaskin-Peters said the Centre will be further expanding and enhancing its services in the coming year. “In 2019 we will be working towards launching a mobile application that will allow companies to receive notifications for new business opportunities. We will also be introducing our online industry 101 course,” she said.
On the first day of the forum, local businesses learned more about the project scopes for the Liza Phase 1 Development while on the second day, representatives of more than 1,500 businesses attended an exhibition where companies engaged face-to-face with the Liza Phase 1 Prime Contractors.
The exhibitors included ExxonMobil Guyana, SBM Offshore, Saipem, TechnipFMC, Noble Drilling, Halliburton, Schlumberger, Baker Hughes, G-Boats, Tiger Tanks, Bristow Helicopters, Stena Drilling as well as CLBD.
Since opening its doors in July 2017, the Centre has conducted several training courses and outreaches geared towards skills development and capacity building for local businesses. The Centre currently has more than 2,300 Guyanese businesses  listed on the Supplier Registration Portal.
