Blog

The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) hosted its annual Energy Luncheon Yesterday at the Guyana Marriott Hotel under the theme, “Beyond the Barrel: Oil, Gas, Growth and the Guyanese Contractor.”

The luncheon brought together business leaders, contractors, GCCI members and key stakeholders for an important conversation on Guyana’s evolving energy sector, the opportunities emerging for local businesses, and what is needed to ensure Guyanese contractors are positioned to participate meaningfully in the country’s continued growth.

Central to the engagement were the experiences of local businesses through a panel discussion featuring Abbigale Loncke, Timothy Tucker and Glen Low-A-Chee, moderated by Richard Leo. The panel examined what it takes for a Guyanese company to move from identifying an opportunity to being ready to secure, finance and successfully deliver the work.

Ms. Loncke highlighted the importance of businesses first understanding where their own gaps exist.

“What are the systems that I need to put in place? What are the things that I need to have? Where do I find the finances?”

Mr. Tucker reflected on the investment required for established businesses to enter new areas of the energy value chain, including the need to train, develop new expertise and invest before a contract is guaranteed. “The industry is, you’ve got to train, you’ve got to do the investment and then you hope you get a job. You really got to spend the money in order to make the money.”

Mr. Low-A-Chee challenged businesses to look beyond competing solely within the local market and build their companies against international expectations. “You have to start with building your business, not to compete with who you’re competing with locally, but think about how you can compete on a global scale.”

Across the discussion, panelists highlighted the importance of stronger internal systems, access to financing, workforce development, technology, industry standards and the ability to scale. The exchange reinforced that securing an opportunity is only one part of the equation. Businesses must also have the capacity to deliver.

For GCCI, Beyond the Barrel is about ensuring that Guyanese businesses are not simply observing the country’s energy transformation, but are building the capacity to participate in it, compete within it and grow alongside it .