As Guyana’s prospects continue to improve with the discovery of over 8 billion barrels of oil equivalent resources and start of oil production last December, investors and foreign interests are increasing–the latest being the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC).
The CCC, established in 1946, is Canada’s government to government contracting organization. It is an independently operated government-owned enterprise that is accountable to the Parliament of Canada through the Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade.
The organisation, along with the Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Lillian Chatterjee, on Friday met with Guyana’s President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, and members of his cabinet to “discuss major infrastructure projects in Guyana,” the Candian High Commission said in a Twitter post.
The High Commissioner said that she is “Proud to offer Canada’s world-class expertise to support Guyana’s comprehensive integrated program to develop its economy to benefit the citizens of Guyana.”
A public statement from the Office of the President on the virtual meeting said that they discussed “several major infrastructure projects in Guyana, including the Corentyne River Bridge.” Ministers of Government including Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill; Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar; Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat and Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond were also part of the meeting.
“President Ali pointed out that Guyana is focusing on key catalytic infrastructure needs which are important relative to Guyana’s population and size,” the Office of the President said.
Just last month, the Canadian High Commissioner reminded that Canada has decades of experience in the oil and gas industry and urged Guyana to take advantage of the experience and expertise that Canada has to offer. “Canada has a long history in Guyana. You know us and you know that we have always been a partner and friend you can rely on,” the High Commissioner stated, saying that the development of potential partnerships between Canada and Guyana could serve to build strong business relationships, transfer technology and skills development to support the growth of Guyana’s offshore oil and gas industry and associated sectors.
According to the CCC, it is the “trusted partner for government to government contracting.” “The Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) helps Canadian exporters sell products and services abroad — and helps foreign governments purchase Canadian solutions to satisfy their national procurement priorities,” their website said, adding, “For Canadian exporters looking to sell to foreign government buyers, our government to government contracting approach improves access to senior procurement decision-makers, enhances proposal credibility, accelerates the procurement process, and reduces contract and payment risk.”
The site also noted, “We also make it easy for government buyers in other countries to connect with qualified Canadian suppliers so they can undertake urgent acquisitions faster, access expertise not available from domestic suppliers, and reduce the risk of bribery and corruption in the procurement process.”
Canadian companies have previously indicated an interest in forming partnerships with Guyanese businesses. Back in 2017, over 15 Canadian companies met with members of the Guyana Oil and Gas Association (GOGA) to explore ways of partnering with Guyana’s private sector for opportunities in the country’s emerging oil and gas sector. Since that time, several trade missions have been held with business representatives from the two countries.
