– believes in keeping ‘Guyana’s backbone’ vibrant

OIL giant, ExxonMobil is ready to invest in the ‘backbone’ of Guyana, agriculture, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

The company has already contributed millions of dollars in the form of grants to communities in Guyana, but, it is still looking for a way to contribute to the agriculture sector, said Senior Director, Public and Government Affairs, Kimberly Brasington during an interview with the Guyana Chronicle.

ExxonMobil’s CSR mainly surrounds the promotion of women and community empowerment and sustainable youth development.
Over the past two years, $184 million has been distributed in grants to local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and organisations which have reinvested the funds into communities and the people of Guyana.

“We want to invest in the backbone of the country because, yes, oil is exciting but you have to invest in the backbone of the country… agriculture could be found almost everywhere but I feel here it is prevalent and thriving,” she said.

The company has already started the process by sponsoring the recent “Uncapped” Expo which was geared at promoting local products and producers.

“We are looking for ways to support agriculture directly… perhaps giving funds to a NGO that supports agriculture would be one of those ways… we want to fill a real need where people are trying to do great things,” Brasington said.

ExxonMobil has also supported the University of Guyana’s (UG) Faculty of Agriculture and continues to look at ways to improve the work of the faculty.

Although the company is expected to recover funds that were invested into their operations, they gave the assurance that their community projects or CRS work cots would never be recovered.