The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) is unaware of how many of its members are registered with and benefiting from ExxonMobil’s Centre for Local Business Development. It is also clueless about ExxonMobil’s local content performance for 2018. But GCCI’s President Nicholas Deygoo-Boyer assured the media today that he would write both ExxonMobil and the Energy Department for more information on these fronts.
The businessman made this known at a press conference which was held earlier today at the Chamber’s Waterloo Street Headquarters. There, Deygoo-Boyer spoke extensively about the need for a Local Content Policy and legislation.
Considering his staunch position on the matter, he was challenged by the media to say if he has asked the operator, who is a member of the Chamber, for information on its local content efforts. Deygoo-Boyer answered in the negative. He was quick to note, however, that it is the responsibility of the Energy Department to demand better reporting on this issue.
Further to this, the GCCI President said he could write to Exxon and the Department to start discussions on having better reporting on local content but he also noted that the former is under no obligation to provide such details to the Chamber. He noted that the government, on the other hand, has more leverage where this issue is concerned as the operator is required to report on the issue as required by the provisions of the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) it signed with Guyana.
Going forward, Deygoo-Boyer said that the Chamber will continue to be an advocate on behalf of the Guyanese public, including its members, on the need for oil companies to give first preference to local goods and services for their operations.
