AT the end of every year, we’re reminded that the most meaningful markers of progress aren’t the big announcements or billion-dollar project milestones, but the people — the determined Guyanese who show what development truly looks like. In a sector as transformative as oil and gas, it’s easy to focus on numbers. But behind every barrel and on every drillship are human stories that show how opportunity can change a life, a family and eventually a country.

Local content has become one of the defining pillars of Guyana’s development narrative, yet we sometimes forget that it is lived out through people, not percentages. People like Stephen, Vandon and Kareshma. Their journeys show that local content is delivering what it promises: skills built, doors opened, lives uplifted.

Consider Stephen Moonasar, who grew up in Skeldon and trained as a machinist at Port Mourant. The oil industry wasn’t part of his plan — it arrived through an unexpected email that pushed him to take a leap of faith. The transition offshore was challenging, with long rotations, new systems and a culture built on precision and safety. But with training and support, he grew. Today, he is a Drilling Fluid Operator responsible for the chemicals and pump systems that keep operations running. With further training ahead in Houston, his goal is simple: to share his knowledge with the next generation. That, too, is local content.

Then there is Vandon Worrell, whose journey began in one of the humblest offshore roles, in housekeeping. Instead of accepting that as his limit, he asked questions, studied during breaks and took every chance to learn. One conversation changed his direction entirely. He pursued logistics training while working night shifts and built the foundation for a new career. Today, he is an Offshore Logistics Coordinator with ExxonMobil Guyana — a role earned through discipline, self-belief and refusing to let circumstance define him.

Kareshma Narine entered the sector in its early days as a young engineer who preferred fieldwork over desk jobs. She became one of the first Guyanese aboard the Noble Bob Douglas drillship, with training taking her from Trinidad to Houston, Colombia, Suriname and Louisiana. Offshore, she monitored drilling operations and carried the weight of representing an emerging female workforce in a male-dominated environment. Her determination, supported by her mother’s constant encouragement, pushed her to excel. Her story remains a powerful example of how opportunity, when matched with preparation, expands what is possible for young Guyanese women.

Different backgrounds, different paths, but together, these individuals show how the sector is reshaping lives, not just in words, but in real, measurable ways. Their stories add to the more than 6,000 others in the industry and remind us that Guyana’s progress is being written not just offshore, but in homes, neighbourhoods, and in the ambitions of young people who can now imagine more.

As we close 2025, celebrating the people driving this momentum, it is clear that their journeys reflect a bigger change in Guyana: personal success turning into national progress that cannot be ignored.

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.