Captain Gerald Gouveia Jr. says Guyanese businesses are better prepared to meet international oil and gas standards and prove doubters wrong.
Speaking at the PSC’s Annual General Meeting 2026 on May 29, Gouveia said local companies are ready to expand beyond Guyana and compete internationally as investment opportunities increase.
“Guyana is open for business, and Guyana’s businesses are ready; we’re ready for partnership… We have prepared Guyana to partner, to export, to expand, to enter new markets, and to form joint ventures, to raise capital, and to compete,” Gouveia declared.
He pointed to Guyana’s increasing visibility in the global energy sector, including President Irfaan Ali’s keynote address at the recent Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, which he said marked Guyana “as the investment capital of this part of the world.”
Gouveia noted that the Commission has represented Guyana at forums across Canada, the United States, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, promoting local private sector opportunities.
According to the PSC Chairman, more Guyanese businesses must now focus on building international competitiveness.
“The next stage of the private sector investment must be meeting international standards while remaining rooted in Guyanese ownership, Guyanese participation, and Guyanese opportunity,” he stated.
“For too long, too many Guyanese companies have been told that we’re too small…We’re too small for oil and gas; we in the private sector have proved them wrong time and time again,” he added.
Gouveia explained that collaboration among local companies will be critical if Guyanese businesses are to secure larger contracts in the oil and gas sector.
“One, five, ten, twenty companies need to come together and pool capital, pool resources, pool technical capacity, experience, and relationships. That’s the only way we can continue to compete at a global level. This is also how we ensure that the opportunities created here in Guyana are shared broadly across our business community, allowing more local companies, more entrepreneurs, and more sectors to benefit meaningfully from the economic development here in this country,” Gouveia said.
