ExxonMobil has pledged a US$100 million investment over the next 10 years to support science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in Guyana.

The announcement was made by ExxonMobil Chair and Chief Executive Officer Darren Woods during a dinner hosted by President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali on February 23.

Woods and the ExxonMobil board are hosting a series of meeting in Guyana.

The ExxonMobil-Guyana STEM initiative will fund programmes aimed at strengthening education in science, technology and mathematics across the country.

“We share President Ali’s ambition in developing these resources to transform Guyana’s economy and bring enduring prosperity to its people. Education is central to this ambition and Guyana’s development plans,” Woods said at the launch.

“STEM is the foundation for every modern society. These disciplines will help to power Guyana’s success in the 21st century.”

Later this year, a comprehensive teacher training programme for secondary mathematics and science education will be launched in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the University of Guyana.

Woods said plans are also in place to establish a nationwide network of student STEM centres, with the first expected to open at the University of Guyana in Georgetown between 2028 and 2029.

“These centres will provide hands-on STEM learning for teens and young adults across the country and will mirror a successful model that President Ali visited in the States last year,” Woods said.

“Our goal is very simple, inspiring the next generation of Guyana’s engineers and scientists by working with the students and the teachers who educate them. Over the next decade, the Guyana STEM initiative will train thousands of educators and reach tens of thousands of students across the country, transforming Guyana’s STEM talent pipeline and developing a new generation of engineers, scientists, and leaders ready to shape Guyana’s future and, importantly, open doors to bigger and better opportunities for everyone.”

Woods said the discovery of oil in the Stabroek Block more than 10 years ago changed Guyana’s future and expressed confidence in the company’s continued role in the country’s development.

“I’m confident in the next decade, we’ll deliver even more, powered by the people of Guyana, built on a foundation of education, innovation, and the Guyana STEM initiative,” he said.

In his address, Ali said that during his first meeting with ExxonMobil Guyana President Alistair Routledge, he emphasised that developing young Guyanese and future generations was central to his government’s vision.

He said that discussion led to a multi-million dollar investment in the Guyana Technical Training College in Berbice.

Ali described the partnership with the US multinational as strong and said he believes the STEM initiative marks the beginning of further collaboration.

“We want to showcase to the world a development in oil and gas that is strategic in every form, one that is balanced, one that take the environment with it in its growth and development, one that celebrates the environment in which it operates in, one in which the transformational goals of the country is realised through the revenue from the sector, and that the sector grew out other aspects of the economy that are critical for sustainability, which is climate services, environmental services, educational services, health services, technological services,” Ali said.

He also highlighted the creation of a Ministry of Efficiency and Public Service to support national development.

Ali said mathematics will play a critical role in Guyana’s future and noted that training to advance the skills of mathematics teachers is expected to begin soon to ensure students receive improved instruction.

He added that Guyana already leads the region in mathematics, with students consistently ranking among the top performers in the Caribbean Examinations Council’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination.

Looking ahead, the president said he wants to see further development in the petrochemical sector and expressed hope that gas exploration and development projects could come on stream by 2030, allowing a second gas project in Berbice to create additional opportunities for Guyanese and the wider Caribbean.