-at launch of Oil and Gas Corner at New Amsterdam National Library

SENIOR Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh on Saturday emphasised that the new Oil and Gas Corner at the New Amsterdam National Library in Region Six has the potential to educate and inspire young people about the booming sector.

He was at the time speaking at the launch of the initiative, which is being executed by ExxonMobil Guyana in collaboration with the Government of Guyana.

According to a press release, Minister Singh also reiterated the government’s commitment to expanding access to knowledge, strengthening public education, and ensuring that citizens, especially students, are equipped with a clear understanding of Guyana’s oil and gas sector.

“Today’s launching of this corner, though it might appear on the surface to be a modest initiative, showcases the work that we are doing together and has the potential to be the first point of direct contact between young Guyanese people and the oil and gas industry to see what an FPSO looks like as well as your seabed and subsea operation,” Minister Singh said as he expressed the hope that similar corners will be set up.

He also expressed gratitude to the President and team of ExxonMobil Guyana Limited for the partnership, and thanked the team at the library for their work in bringing the vision to life. Dr. Singh also encouraged young people to explore the possibilities of the oil and gas industry and to take full advantage of the resources available at the library.

He further encouraged young Guyanese to get into the industry and take up all the educational opportunities being made available by government such as opportunities to study at places like the University of Guyana and the Guyana Technical Training College at Port Mourant.

According to the release, Dr. Singh added “and so as modest as it is it represents an extremely important instalment in our rollout of initiatives as we seek to bring the oil and gas industry closer to the Guyanese people, to inform them of the vastness of possibilities that exist for them and to put them potentially on a path that will see them playing a role because we want as many Guyanese people as possible to be working in the industry”.

President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge, who also delivered remarks, explained that the project aimed to bring to life what is done in the industry to make every person in Guyana see and educate communities about what is happening in the industry offshore.

“It is what I expect to see in libraries like this, the bringing to life what we do, and our passion for what we do and making sure what we do is done safe so I am really excited to be here,” he said as he thanked the government, the National Library of New Amsterdam, and the region for their involvement in pulling the project together

The new corner features a replica of the One Guyana FPSO, along with educational materials designed to make complex national developments more accessible within a public learning space.

This initiative is expected to be replicated across several branch libraries, including the National Library in Georgetown.

Also in attendance at the launch were Regional Executive Officer (REO) of Region Six Narindra Persaud.