I write to commend Ace Consulting group and ExxonMobil Guyana for its Guyanese diaspora outreach forum held on Friday afternoon November 14 at Vetro catering hall on Crossbay Blvd in Howard Beach to relate investment opportunities in Guyana. The forum brought together diaspora skilled professionals and private sector leaders and potential Guyanese investors from the greater New York area. Such a forum (involving ExxonM) to discuss investment opportunities for diaspora from greater New York area was long overdue. Similar forums were held in Washington and Toronto. The diaspora had long expressed an interest to hear from ExxonM’s CEO about its investment and related opportunities for Guyanese in the diaspora as well as those in Guyana. Ace Consulting Group and ExxonMobil collaborated to host the forum to inform and update Guyanese on various opportunities on investment in Guyana and about Exxon’s operations. The forum gave the diaspora an unique opportunity to quiz ExxonM’s CEO about its general operations and investment as well as benefits accursing to Guyana.
Previous engagements were also organized by Ace Consulting Group (of Guyana) in collaboration with ExxonMobil Guyana. Addressing the audience were Ace Consulting President Dr. Rosh Khan and Guyana Consul General in New York, Ambassador Michael Brotherson as well as Guyana ExxonM President (CEO) Alistair Routledge, Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud, and four others. They stressed that Guyanese in the diaspora can play a pivotal role in investment and growing the economy.
Dr. Khan and Consul General Michael Brotherson delivered welcoming remarks urging the diaspora to take advantage of opportunities to invest in a (new) rapidly developing and modernizing Guyana. They feel that Guyana’s development should be inclusive of the diaspora. As Dr. Khan stated, these forums were centered around diaspora role in Guyana’s development. As Khan stated, similar forums will be held in South Florida and additional ones in Toronto.
Following remarks from Dr Khan and Amb Brotherson, there were two question and answer plenary sessions with a moderator. Robert Persaud and Alistair Routledge were engaged in the first session followed by a few questions from the audience. Four speakers were quizzed by the moderator in the second session. Wazim Mola, Senior Advisor of Ace, moderated the two sessions. The two sessions were followed by a reception of drinks and hors doevres.
As Ace Consulting President stated in the introduction of the engagement, the objective of this and similar forums was to inform Guyanese in the diaspora of investment opportunities in Guyana to align government national transformation goals. Dr Khan stated that the diaspora has key resources including skills, technical know how, money, and insight that contribute to Guyana’s sustainable development. He, Robert Persaud, and Amb Brotherson reiterated that the PPP/C government wants to work with the diaspora, to take diaspora expertise and money to help transform Guyana into a modern, developed nation. As they noted, the PPP/C government views diaspora engagement as a cornerstone of sustainable development. They emphasized that government is pursuing initiatives that will involve partnerships with diaspora on investments in sustainable development.
ExxonM President Mr. Routledge also chimed in that the multinational oil company is keen in strengthening its commitment to inclusive national sustainable development and engaging Guyanese community as strategic partners (through its local content program) in the country’s long-term growth agenda. He reaffirmed continued U.S. investment in Guyana’s booming economy. He also stated that ExxonM is utilizing renewable energy in Guyana to power their office. He said the entire ExxonM office in Ogle is powered by renewable energy and it adds energy to the national grid.
Mr. Routledge sated that Exxon invested some US$60 billion in Guyana. He noted that Guyana is now producing some 930K bpd and additional production are on stream for next year and every year thereafter through 2028 when Guyana will reach some 1.2 million bpd.
He also stated that the company has hired thousands of Guyanese and gave billions in dollars in contracts to Guyanese companies. He was asked about when Exxon investment will be recovered resulting in higher revenues for Guyana. He said that by end of next year, Exxon should recover most of its investments that will result in Guyana earning higher profit sharing thereafter.
One of the four speakers, Ms Teij Persaud, Exxon Liaison for Government Affairs, highlighted that Exxon and its contractors have employed over 6,200 Guyanese workers, prioritizes hiring and training Guyanese, essentially 70% of oil and gas’s workers in country are Guyaneese with some 1800 Guyanese working offshore. She and the other three speakers also spoke about opportunities for investment in Guyana, appealing to them to take advantage of the various opportunities in oil and gas an in other areas to help transform Guyana.
Mr Routledge engaged several attendees for a one on one exchange pre and post plenary session fielding their questions.
The planners and organizers of the forum are applauded for giving the diaspora an opportunity to hear from Exxon and government representatives as well as from private sector investors on opportunities for investment and employment in Guyana.
