The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI) is set to lead a broad delegation to the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) 2025, taking place from May 5–8 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. The delegation includes corporate partners, Brava and Blue Water Shipping, as well as representatives from the Guyana government.
At a press conference on Friday, GCCI President Kester Hutson, alongside key stakeholders, discussed Guyana’s participation in OTC 2025. “The private sector is the engine of growth and… we are taking the lead on this event,” he said.
Present at the press conference were Kathy Smith, Senior Vice President of GCCI and Head of its Petroleum Committee; Richard Rambarran, GCCI Councilor and Executive Member; Bobby Gossai Jr., Senior Petroleum Economist at the Ministry of Natural Resources; and John Edghill, Senior Director of Investment at the Guyana Office for Investment. Representatives from Blue Water Shipping, Richard DeNobrega, and Brava, Hilton Wong, were also present.
Smith said, “What we have decided to do is to see how we can take our members to places, to countries, where they can get an understanding of the energy sector that Guyana, right now, might not be able to give to them.”
She said the OTC trip will allow small and medium sized businesses to expose themselves to a forum where the leaders of the global energy sector congregate in one place. “If you want to be part of the energy sector, this is an opportunity for you to go there and get partnerships,” Smith said.
Gossai said Guyana’s oil production currently averages 650,000 barrels per day (b/d), noting ExxonMobil’s planned start-up of a fourth project later this year, which is expected to boost production. Given these developments, he stressed the need for local businesses to find opportunities to invest.
He explained that participation in OTC 2025 offers Guyanese companies a unique opportunity to connect with skilled foreign firms. The Guyana government has long promoted such joint ventures as a means of addressing capacity gaps within the local private sector. Gossai said that Guyana, as the fastest-growing economy in the world, must remain competitive, and securing strong partnerships through OTC 2025 can help.
While OTC is primarily an oil and gas event, the Guyana delegation sees it as much more. Edghill said OTC 2025 will be a platform to showcase Guyana’s vast economic potential beyond oil.
“We will display to them our tourism potential, our agriculture potential, our manufacturing potential,” Edghill said.
He explained that this potential will be boosted by the upcoming Gas-to-Energy project, set to begin operations later this year. This project is expected to help the government slash consumer electricity costs by 50%, catalyzing industrial growth and development in Guyana. He also pointed out that the country has substantial room for growth in maritime and logistics services, referencing the government’s plan to attract investment for the development of a deepwater port in Berbice. The project, he noted, will require significant capital investment, with the government potentially playing a role as a co-investor.
Rambarran also drew attention to opportunities for businesses outside the oil and gas sector. “Any energy-based economy also needs peripheral support,” he said.
He cautioned against the misconception that OTC 2025 is only relevant for companies directly involved in oil and gas. To encourage participation, Rambarran announced a special incentive for businesses joining GCCI between February and May 2025. New members who register during this period and plan to attend OTC 2025 will receive their first year of GCCI membership free of fees.
Outside the conference’s main agenda, Rambarran said Guyana’s delegation typically engages in interactions with key international partners. These include meetings with sister organizations such as the Bilateral Chamber of Commerce and discussions with the U.S. Department of Commerce. He revealed that GCCI intends to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Greater Houston Partnership in the near future. Additionally, the delegation will meet with various U.S. government representatives and officials from the city of Houston.
