GEORGETOWN, Guyana, (DPI) – His Excellency President Dr Irfaan Ali and First Lady Mrs Arya Ali hosted a dinner for Executives from ExxonMobil’s board of directors at State House on Monday night. Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d), Mark Phillips, several cabinet ministers and government officials also attended the dinner.
The ExxonMobil team was led by the chair and chief executive officer, Darren Woods. During brief remarks, Woods announced an ExxonMobil-Guyana STEM initiative that represents an investment of US$100M to strengthen education in science, technology and mathematics across Guyana. The initiative also includes the creation of a nationwide network of STEM centres, with the first to be established at the University of Guyana’s Turkeyen Campus.
The initiative reflects the company’s long-term commitment to Guyana’s development, Woods said and that while the company was focused on responsibly developing Guyana’s offshore oil and gas resources, it was equally committed to ensuring those resources created opportunities onshore. He further announced that later this year, ExxonMobil will roll out a comprehensive secondary-level mathematics and science teacher training programme, in collaboration with the ministry of education and the University of Guyana.
The company also plans to establish a nationwide network of STEM centres for students, with the first to be opened in Georgetown. The centres will offer practical, hands-on learning opportunities for teenagers and young adults and are modelled on the ExxonMobil Foundation Teen Engineering and Tech Centre in Spring, Texas. President Ali was given a tour of the centre during the annual CERAWeek energy conference in Houston in 2025.
The CEO said the initiative aims to train thousands of educators and reach tens of thousands of students over the next decade, strengthening Guyana’s STEM capacity and preparing a new generation of engineers and scientists.
President Ali lauded the initiative and said it demonstrates the strength and trust of the relationship that the company and Guyana are building. Guyana’s development depended on ensuring that the current and next generation are properly equipped to take the country forward.
“We have to ensure that the next generation of Guyanese, and this generation, are equipped with the necessary skills, training and knowledge to take Guyana forward,” president Ali added. “That pathway is better designed when you have a better-equipped and well-trained workforce.”
President Ali praised ExxonMobil for supporting the STEM initiative, saying the investment reflected a strong alignment between the company’s vision and the government’s development agenda. He also said the partnership aimed to demonstrate a balanced model of oil and gas development, one that supports economic transformation while recognising environmental responsibilities and promoting sustainable growth across other sectors of the economy.
As part of the programme, a dedicated STEM centre will be constructed at the University of Guyana campus, with the physical facility expected to be completed by 2028. Preparatory work, like creating the curriculum and training teachers, will start well before that.
The president said the university location was chosen to expose children to a campus environment from an early age. At the same time, the ministry of education will lead programmes to train teachers and instructors nationwide.
