FIRST LADY, Mrs Arya Ali, on Friday last, toured Guyana Shore Base Inc.’s (GYSBI) facility at Houston, on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD), in an effort to better understand the work of some stakeholders in the oil and gas sector. She used the opportunity to lobby the company’s General Manager to examine the possibility of hiring differently-abled persons.
The First Lady recently procured a list of differently-abled persons who are seeking employment, and has been pushing for private companies to employ some of these persons.
Mrs Ali is of the view that Guyana’s development is being accelerated partly because of its emerging oil and gas sector, and for this reason Guyanese must familiarise themselves with the work of these companies, a press release from her office noted on Saturday.

According to the Office of the First Lady, GYSBI provides specialised shore base management and integrated logistics services for operators in Guyana’s Petroleum Industry.
Prior to the tour of the facility, the First Lady met with the company’s General Manager, Sean Hill, and Corporate Secretary, Yolander Persaud, who provided an overview of the work being done at the facility.

During that presentation, the First Lady questioned the company about its commitment to environmental regulations and local content. Mr. Hill explained that GYSBI honours its obligations to protect the environment and reduce its carbon footprints. He also disclosed that 94% of GYSBI staff are Guyanese, and in the coming months, more Guyanese will be employed at the company.

According to the release, the First Lady used the opportunity to lobby the company’s General Manager to examine the possibility of hiring differently-abled persons. Mr. Hill and Ms. Persaud both committed to examining the list of differently-abled persons, and where the possibility exists, to employ some of them.
The First Lady was also able to get the company to commit to adopting an orphanage, in keeping with its corporate social responsibility. The Office of the First Lady will launch a pilot project in December which aims to get private companies to adopt an orphanage. The idea of the initiative is to ensure that these orphanages are adequately funded to care for the children who reside there, and to compensate the staff.