An event aimed at forging links between the North East of Scotland and Guyana has been hailed as a resounding success.
During a three-day trade mission to the area, 12 representatives of Guyanese government, industry, academia and commerce met with local businesses and organisations in a bid to strengthen relationships between the locations.
One highlight of the itinerary was the inaugural Aberdeen-Guyana Gateway lunch at Macdonald Norwood Hall Hotel, Aberdeen on Thursday, November 29th which drew an audience of 90.
Leading the visiting delegation was Nicholas Deygoo, Senior Vice President, Georgetown Chamber of Commerce & Industry supported by His Excellency Frederick Hamley Case, High Commissioner of The Co-operative Republic of Guyana in London and Greg Quinn, Her Majesty's British High Commissioner to The Co-operative Republic of Guyana.
The trip was hosted by Aberdeen-based Granite PR, ABIS Energy and Aberdeen City Council and supported by other companies and industry bodies interested in exploring or expanding opportunities in Guyana.
Commenting on the success of the visit His Excellency Hamley Case, the Guyanese High Commissioner to the UK said: “Further to earlier meetings in 2018 with The Lord Provost, I had suggested a trade mission and I am pleased that ABIS Energy has managed to generate the interest for this to occur in such a short period of time.
“This visit to Aberdeen by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry is demonstrating that there is significant opportunity for both Guyanese and Aberdeen and indeed UK companies to work together for mutual benefit to develop the oil and gas industry in Guyana.”
The UK High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn, commented: “We truly believe that the experience gained over the past 50 years in Aberdeen and the UK as a whole by private enterprise and government is something that can be packaged to transfer to Guyana as they look to establish their oil and gas industry and The British High Commission is keen to facilitate these opportunities as we go forward.”
Brett Jackson, Founder/MD of Granite PR and creator of the international Gateway event series said: “This was the second inaugural Gateway of 2018 and a fitting end to our tenth anniversary year. We were delighted to collaborate with ABIS Energy to deliver an event which has surpassed our expectations in terms of the interest it has generated.
“The exciting difference on this occasion is the fact that Guyana stands at the dawn of its oil industry and the opportunity to be part of this is an interesting prospect for many, as demonstrated by the excellent turnout. The success of the Aberdeen-Guyana Gateway further underlines the appetite which exists for this networking and knowledge sharing platform and we hope that it will act as a springboard from which participants can grow their connections and business opportunities.”
Francis Kiernan of ABIS Energy added: “The various meetings we have had with Guyanese government and private business this year culminating in this trade mission and Gateway have made clear, not only the incredible opportunity that Guyana holds for Aberdeen and UK businesses, but also the similarities that exist between our working environment in terms of law, language, certain practices and indeed sense of humour.
“ABIS Energy is committed to developing business with Guyana and we look forward to working with both Guyanese and UK companies to make this happen.”
The Aberdeen-Guyana Gateway is supported by Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, Aberdeen City Council, ABIS Energy, Burness Paull LLP, Business Plus Scotland, DOF Subsea, EIC Aberdeen, Energy Voice, Enermech, Entier, Fairytale Events, Georgetown Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Guyana Oil & Gas Association Inc., Lawsound, Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, Munros Travel, Oil and Gas Vision, Petrasco, Proserv, Prospect 13, Robert Gordon University, Royale Photographics, Scottish Development International, Scottish Qualifications Authority, TLC Ltd, Whittaker Engineering, Action Coach Guyana, Global Technology, Massy (Guyana) Ltd, Nations School of Technology, University of Guyana.
To find out more, email info@granitepr.co.uk