Guyana—Trade Mission

The DAI Sustainable Business Group (SBG) was commissioned to support the Newfoundland and Labrador Oil and Gas Industry Association (Noia)’s trade mission to Guyana for two consecutive years. Noia identified key similarities between the recent oil and gas industry development in Guyana and the Province’s own experiences developing an oil and gas supplier base. Guyana has the potential to mirror the Newfoundland and Labrador experience of economic development through offshore oil. To facilitate Noia members’ entry into the Guyanese market and identify strong potential partnerships, SBG has managed two trade missions for their members. The mission’s goals were to inform Noia members of the business environment, political landscape, regulatory regime and cultural considerations, as well as provide up to date information on oil and gas project activities and procurement information from a selection of prime contractors. The mission also provided matchmaking between Noia members and local Guyanese businesses to foster on-the-ground partnerships.

The trade missions included business-to-business matchmaking services, coordinated by DAI Guyana staff using DAI’s Supplier Registration Portal, and workshops with Guyanese government officials for trade mission activities. Mission activities were implemented by DAI’s Centre for Local Business Development (the Centre). The post-mission aftercare package included a post-mission report and market research updates. The pre-mission included a market report and workshops with Canadian firms. The market report included an overview of the business environment, business regulatory regime, political landscape, and cultural obligations in Guyana, as well as a more in-depth look at the oil and gas sector in Guyana. The workshop included a presentation of the Guyana-Suriname oil and gas market and served to review the products/services and objectives of the mission.

The second Guyana mission was adapted from the initial mission, incorporating feedback from the prior-year results. Key updates to the 2019 Guyana mission included the addition of a tax landscape report and webinar, and an optional two-day mission trip to Suriname.