THE Ministry of Natural Resources is set to open the door for Guyanese businesses and individuals looking to gain easier access to the oil and gas sector, through the creation of two registers at its Local Content Secretariat, which is set to come onstream later this month.

This is according to subject minster, Vickram Bharrat, who recently said that the registers were part of the hallmark Local Content Bill, which was passed in the National Assembly, on December 29, 2021.

Minister Bharrat stated that the registers will be used as a way to bring together local expertise, human capital and businesses, including those operating in the oil and gas sector.

The Local Content Secretariat will move ahead with the establishment of two registers now that the bill has been signed into law. One will cater to the individual seeking employment in the oil and gas sector, while the second will record the details of businesses interested in providing services to the sector.

“We will start creating those registers as early as next week. One to deal with employment and two to deal with goods and services. So, we’ll have two registers, one with names and the background of people who want to work in the oil and gas sector and two, with the local businesses [or] the companies that would like to do business with the oil and gas companies,” said Minister Bharrat.

Minister Bharrat noted that the ministry will make the registers accessible online via its website, allowing for all those interested in the sector to be able to access information.

The Natural Resources Minister further disclosed that the ministry will also make available, on its websites, extracts from oil and gas businesses’ master and annual plans, which will highlight predictions for job openings and the need for expertise in specific areas.

He noted that Guyanese can use this information as a guide to join the sector.

“We will take an extract from the master and annual plans and we will publish it as well on our website. So, every single Guyanese can go on the website and see what are the services required by an oil and gas company and what are the skill sets required by that company. So, you can decide what career path you’re going to go into if you’re a young person; you could go and look up what are the positions and then you decide, you know what, I want to be a reservoir engineer. So, I’m going to study this,” he said.

MUTUAL BENEFITS
Since the establishment of the oil and gas sector, many Guyanese individuals and businesses have benefitted from job opportunities and income generated from the sector.

In December, President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge, had said that over 800 Guyanese have been supplying ExxonMobil since the oil and gas giant commenced operations in Guyana in 2015.

Within this period, the company has spent US$540 million to procure goods and services from those suppliers.

“I am a firm believer — as it is the position of ExxonMobil — that Guyanese should not only benefit from the revenues that come from oil and gas, but should play an active role in the development of the resource as well,” Routledge related.

He highlighted that, to date, more than 3,200 Guyanese are working on ExxonMobil’s local operations and almost the entire supply chain for the company’s offshore activities has been relocated to this country.

“To date, all of the major international oil-and-gas contractors have a presence in Guyana and have steadily been moving activities from the United States, Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago,” he said.

Routledge added: “This has created opportunities for the Guyanese private sector — whether it is build-outs for shore base, warehousing, or waste-treatment facilities.”

He said that as ExxonMobil Guyana advances its operations and explores new projects, it views involvement of the Guyanese workforce and suppliers of goods and services as crucial.

To achieve success in the industry and “win work,” local suppliers need to enhance their skills and capacity by forming small partnerships with foreign companies, which will transfer critical skills and technology.

“This needs to be a win-win dynamic for international and local companies. International companies need to feel welcome and can generate some value for their investment in technology and knowledge transfer,” he said.

Additionally, he reasoned: “Just as other countries with large or growing energy sectors, Guyana will need stable rules that facilitate large-scale investments and set priorities and outline achievable targets for the industry, rather than trying to make rapid progress in every sector simultaneously.”

Further, Routledge highlighted that the Guyanese private sector would play a pivotal role in the development of Guyana’s energy sector and could use the opportunity to build capacity, capability and experience for long-term international competitiveness.

“The critical factor is building local capacity and capability, from which growth in local content will follow. The progress made by the private sector already in Guyana goes well beyond what I’ve experienced previously at this stage,” he said.