Guyana foolishly accepts low-hanging fruits from ExxonMobil

No one expected Guyana, a newbie to the oil industry, to get it all right in the beginning. However, international onlookers thought, at least, the country would have been able to secure certain fundamentals.

It was expected that the country would have gathered information about the international norms in certain areas. That is why an international oil and gas expert is calling it “foolish” that Guyana has allowed ExxonMobil to commit to “cheap” Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The expert said that Guyana grabbed “low-hanging fruits.”

The term low-hanging fruit is a commonly used metaphor for doing the simplest or easiest work first or for a quick fix.

This metaphor, which can be understood easily by Guyanese, as they are quite familiar with their agriculture. Guyanese know that while low-hanging fruits are easily accessible, they are often times not the juiciest. Fruits higher up the tree that have more contact with the sun are more delectable. This metaphor easily brings across the point of the oil expert who said that while the CSR offered by ExxonMobil may be able to effect change in certain areas there are other commitments that would have bode better for the developmental needs of Guyana.

Speaking on the grounds of anonymity, the expert said that the metaphoric fruits Guyana accepted were hanging so low that a very young child could have picked them. He said that Guyana could have pointed ExxonMobil in many other more meaningful directions. The expert was quick to point out that it is understood that the developmental needs of countries may vary. He said, for instances, that the needs of Nigeria is very different from the needs of Azerbaijan “so the CSR projects in these countries may be different.

However, the end game is development. Countries want to address the most pressing issues. Guyana is in need of infrastructure; especially now. With the country being on the brink of a huge oil and gas industry, Guyana will do well to establish more hospitals, etc.”

The Production Sharing Contract (PSC) that Guyana signed with ExxonMobil states, “The Minister and the contractor shall establish a programme of a financial support for environmental and social projects to be funded by the contractor. The contractor shall directly fund the amount of (US$300,000.00) per year with any funded but unspent portion of this amount to be carried over into the ensuing calendar years of the Agreement. The Minister and contractor shall meet annually to agree which projects shall be funded in any year.” Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael, Trotman had told this newspaper that ExxonMobil has agreed to look at four primary areas–land reformation, establishing green spaces, youth membership schemes, and a youth innovation fund. The US$300,000 will go to these purposes.

This is the case while ExxonMobil commits to more meaningful CSRs around the world.

(Kaieteur News)