Guyana’s investment in education and workforce development in its oil and gas sector offers a model that Suriname should closely examine as it prepares for offshore production and local content development. This is according to local content specialist Anne Rita Wijdh.
Wijdh first raised the issue in a LinkedIn post on May 13. Elaborating in an exclusive interview with OilNOW on May 15, she said, “It’s very interesting to see how the Guyanese [Government] has picked up on the local content… I’ve been working in Guyana since 2011, so it is very interesting for me to see the development of Guyana and compare developments in Suriname as well”.
Wijdh, who has been involved in discussions around Suriname’s emerging local content framework, pointed to Guyana’s tuition-free education policies and partnerships between the government, the University of Guyana, and ExxonMobil as examples of how oil revenues and industry support can strengthen national capacity.
She described Guyana’s recent education push as part of a broader local content strategy tied to long-term national development.
“This is not simply education. This is nation building,” Wijdh remarked while discussing financed doctoral studies, and increased university enrollment linked to investment in research and workforce training.
Wijdh said Guyana and Suriname share similar social and economic realities, and argued that the Dutch-speaking nation should not wait until oil production begins before advancing similar initiatives.
“Suriname and Guyana were rated as the poorest countries in South America… I think it will be of a very, very big effect because at the moment you need to understand that Suriname, you can say, is in the same situation as Guyana… Our people need to think out of the box. In the world, in the countries out there, it [local content] is normal,” she said.
Guyana passed its Local Content Act in December 2021 to expand participation by local workers and businesses in the oil and gas sector through hiring and procurement requirements linked to offshore operations.The government has already reviewed amendments to the Act as more local firms enter oil and gas services, to strengthen opportunities across the value chain. The Local Content Secretariat has proposed changes to the Minister of Natural Resources for Cabinet consideration following consultations with the private sector.
