Dear Editor,
I don’t think we give enough credit to the Guyanese businesses quietly driving our nation’s oil and gas transformation. Behind every FPSO launch and offshore milestone, there are local companies keeping the wheels turning: the caterers who feed the crews, the construction companies laying foundations, welding and fabrication companies and cleaning companies who all play their part.
I’ll be honest; when oil was first discovered, I worried we’d become spectators in our own success story, watching foreign companies harvest our wealth while we stood on the sidelines clapping. But the numbers are telling a different tale. The local content director recently said that US$350 million was earned by local businesses in just six months of 2025, with ExxonMobil and partners spending another US$419 million right here at home. That’s not pocket change, that’s transformation you can see driving through any region.
What really gets me is the individual stories. There’s a young woman I heard about recently who had a snackette at the side of the road. Today, after receiving her certifications and starting her catering business, she now caters to many oil and gas events proving that stories like these aren’t fairy tales. As people often say, “one hand can’t clap”. These big oil companies may have the FPSOs and the technology but without Guyanese hands and businesses, nothing moves. Even Suriname is looking at our local content law as a model, hoping to follow our lead. That should tell us something.
Every time we talk about “local content,” we should remember what it really means: Guyanese taking ownership of their own prosperity. Every contract awarded, every dollar spent here, is one step toward a stronger, more confident nation. That’s the part of the story we must never lose sight of the part that proves this is not just an oil boom, it’s a people’s rise.
Sincerely,
Samantha Gilkes
