Govt. to strip ExxonMobil’s Business Centre of power to determine local content

Dec 30, 2021 News

– says companies gave detailed accounts of discrimination, neglect

Kaieteur News – With government proposing to create a Local Content Register of approved companies and citizens that must be used by oil companies and their subcontractors, ExxonMobil will no longer have the power to determine on its own, what constitutes local content.

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall

This was highlighted yesterday by Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall during his contribution to the Local Content Bill 2021 debate. The Senior Counsel noted that the government intends to create a Local Content Secretariat which would create two registers of companies and Guyanese. These registers will return to the State, the power to ensure operators and their subcontractors are fairly directing opportunities for employment, procurement and capacity building to Guyanese nationals.
In response to concerns that the Bill would be in conflict with ExxonMobil’s controlled Centre for Local Business Development, Nandlall said the government is in receipt of a litany of stories from the private sector which have detailed acts of discrimination, neglect, and how they were ostracised from getting fair opportunities in that organisation.
He said the Secretariat would not replace the Exxon centre but it would ensure the State has its own apparatus of measuring true local content. He said anyone who is not part of the register can still compete, but would not be considered as part of any company’s local content achievements.
Nandlall said too that the Bill provides a one year period for companies to get their house in order and be compliant with the law. The Attorney General said, “We are not saying the bill is perfect but it is a good start. We looked at best practices learned from those jurisdictions such as Trinidad and Tobago, Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and… it is regarded as one of the best in this hemisphere. It therefore represents the conscience of the people…”
The Legal Affairs Minister then commended the Bill for passage where it saw 15 other speakers and was subsequently passed by the House.