A group of Guyanese private sector representatives will be travelling to the Canadian Province of Newfoundland and Labrador to explore business opportunities in the oil and gas and supporting sectors.
This was disclosed by Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Lilian Chatterjee, who told OilNOW in a recent interview that this fact-finding mission will allow Guyanese entrepreneurs to see first-hand what are some of the business opportunities available for collaboration. “This goes broadly beyond oil and gas but in order to have a vibrant and operational oil and gas industry you have to have the supporting industry around it, for instance like in the services sector,” she said.
The visit is expected to take place sometime in November and while a specific date has not yet been set, a private sector official told OilNOW at the weekend that this should be determined soon.
In early September, 25 Canadian organisations visited Guyana looking to form lasting partnerships with local companies and stakeholders to support the growth in the South American country’s emerging oil and gas industry. That mission was organized by the Canadian High Commission in Guyana in collaboration with the Newfoundland and Labrador Oil and Gas Industry Association (NOIA) and the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-invest).
“I am so encouraged by the affinity that has been developed between the Newfoundland’s private sector and the Guyanese private sector and the reason there is that affinity is because Newfoundland and Labrador have so much similarities,” the High Commissioner said.
She noted that Newfoundland and Labrador was the poorest Province in Canada with an economy that was based on fishing and “it struggled until it found oil.”
Guyana, she pointed out, can learn immensely from the experiences of Newfoundland and Labrador.
“They (Newfoundland and Labrador) are so eager to share what they have learnt with the private sector in Guyana,” the High Commissioner stated.
It is expected that the development of potential partnerships between Guyana and Canada could serve to build strong business relationships, transfer technology, and skills development to support the growth of Guyana’s offshore oil and gas industry.
