Above: Guyana’s Kaieteur Falls

By the Caribbean Journal staff

While several Canadian firms are already working in Guyana’s oil, gas and mining sectors, the country could get more assistance from Canada.

Two Canadian institutions, the College of the North Atlantic and the Marine Institute of Memorial University have offered their expertise to Guyana’s oil and gas industry.

Above: officials at the meeting

Officials from both tertiary institutions met with Guyanese President Donald Ramotar Tuesday, invited by Canadian High Commissioner David Devine.

The two schools are based in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, which has seen significant growth in the oil and gas industry in the last few decades.

Ann Marie Vaughan, president of the College of the North Atlantic, said she believed Guyana had the potential for oil and gas development, despite a discovery not having yet been made.

Above: officials at the meeting

“We really do wish all the benefits to be for the Guyanese people, and it’s similar to what we want for [the people] in Newfoundland and Labrador as well,” she said.

Another team from Newfoundland will be in Guyana next week, also at the invitation of Devine. That group will engage the private sector on the possibilities of “meaningful interaction” with Newfoundland, including actual visits.

Several oil firms are already exploring Guyana’s offshore waters, including REPSOL and ExxonMobil.