Guyanese-led tech partnership set to elevate local drone and geospatial industry

Jun 21, 2026 Features / Columnists, News

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By Khadidja Ba

(Kaieteur News) – In a major milestone for local ownership and technological sovereignty, premier Guyanese geospatial provider Dragonfly Solutions Group Inc., in partnership with Canadian drone company Altomaxx, officially launched their new Joint Venture on Thursday. The Guyanese-led enterprise, unveiled during a high-profile event at Herdmanston Lodge, marks a massive leap forward for domestic capacity, positioning a local company at the helm of advancing drone technology, geospatial intelligence, and industrial workforce development in Guyana.

Operating under the banner Altomaxx Offshore | Dragonfly, this Guyanese-led enterprise combines deep-rooted domestic insight and entrepreneurial agility with internationally recognised technical backing. By merging Dragonfly’s frontline local expertise with Altomaxx’s global experience in remote sensing, the venture is fully equipped to deliver advanced solutions for the energy, maritime, industrial, infrastructure, and offshore sectors.

The joint operations will service Guyana’s rapidly expanding economic sectors by integrating cutting-edge drone technologies, including LiDAR, photogrammetry, thermal imaging, and restricted-access remote inspections, to help clients operate safer, smarter, and more efficiently.

BORN FROM GRIT

The collaboration represents a massive evolution for Dragonfly Solutions Group Inc., a homegrown drone and geospatial solutions company that has specialised in surveying, mapping, inspections, and data-driven technologies to support informed decision-making across multiple local industries. Reflecting on the company’s swift trajectory, Brian Smith, Founder and Operations Lead of Dragonfly, shared an inspiring retrospective with attendees, emphasising that the venture is fundamentally a vehicle for Guyanese advancement.

“What began with a borrowed drone in 2020 has evolved into an international Joint Venture focused on innovation, collaboration and creating opportunities for Guyanese talent,” Smith remarked. “This partnership is about more than business growth. It is about building local capacity, strengthening workforce readiness and ensuring that Guyanese professionals can compete and succeed at an international standard.”

This emphasis on local leadership and empowerment resonated strongly with the Canadian partners. Steve Priestly of Altomaxx, a Canadian-based firm globally recognised for its specialisation in advanced industrial inspections, surveying, mapping, and data collection services, emphasised that supporting a local, Guyanese-led entity aligns perfectly with their corporate values.

“Altomaxx chose to partner with Dragonfly for more than just business,” Priestly explained. “We believe we are aligned in our commitment to supporting the region through job creation, education and STEM awareness, as these are fundamental pillars of our own business model in Canada.”

GOVT. AND PRIVATE SECTOR BACKING

The launch drew a distinguished gathering of government ministers, diplomatic corps members, private sector executives, and key industry leaders, all convening to discuss how local technological leadership can shape Guyana’s future economy.

Delivering a keynote address, Keoma Griffith, Minister of Labour and Manpower Planning, championed the venture’s Guyanese-led focus on human capital and forward-thinking job readiness.

“Partnerships such as this one between Dragonfly and Altomaxx demonstrate the important role collaboration plays in preparing our people for the future of work, one increasingly shaped by technology, innovation and data-driven solutions,” Minister Griffith stated. “Local content is not simply about participation; it is about preparedness. By creating opportunities for skills development, knowledge transfer and entrepreneurship, initiatives like this help ensure Guyanese are equipped to compete and succeed at an international standard.”

Representing the local business community, Kathy Smith, President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), lauded the joint venture as a masterclass in local capacity building and true content participation. She revealed that the initial connection between the two tech firms was forged during a GCCI-supported inbound investor mission, highlighting the Chamber’s active role in fueling Guyana’s economic transformation.

“As we continue to advocate for opportunities for businesses in Guyana, we steadily emphasise the role that joint ventures can play in building capacity, strengthening capabilities and facilitating skills transfer,” Smith noted. “Dragonfly’s journey is evidence of the determination, innovation and resilience of Guyanese entrepreneurs. This partnership demonstrates what is possible when local expertise is combined with international collaboration.”

Joint Venture Core Capabilities & Focus Areas:

By embedding international specialised capabilities directly into a Guyanese-led framework, the joint venture is uniquely structured to handle complex offshore and industrial asset management, including confined space inspections and structural integrity assessments tailored directly for the local energy and maritime markets.

Crucially, the partners are keeping social responsibility at the forefront of their commercial expansion. Dragonfly will continue its dedicated investment in the next generation through its annual Drone Girls | Drone Kids program, designed to introduce Guyanese youth to early opportunities in technology, aviation, and STEM fields.

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• drone and geospatial industry, Khadidja Ba, tech partnership

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