500 jobs for being created for residents in Oil and gas investment at Enmore

Government has declared that the partnership between government and GUYSONS and K+B
Industries Inc. (GKB), to transform the former Enmore Sugar Estate into oil field manufacturing
facilities, goes way beyond oil and gas.
It was revealed that the $7B (US$37.5M) investment will see over 500 jobs being created for
villagers, specifically former sugar workers along the East Coast corridor who were terminated,
when the previous APNU+AFC Coalition Government ceased operations at the factory. Further,
the corridor has the potential to become one of Guyana’s leading hubs for fabrication and
machining services, and could eventually see a major economic paradigm shift.
GK+B’s Chief Financial Officer, Kads Khan, during a recent interview disclosed that a sum of
$1.5B (US$7.5M) has already been spent to commence phase one of the operation. Khan pointed
out that the East Coast corridor provides sufficient land space, which he said allows the company
to effectively accomplish its mandate, which includes Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) and
premium accessory service support to Guyana’s oil industry. “The East Bank, as you probably
know is crowded. We spoke with government; they were keen to help and Enmore provided an
opportunity for us to get the required land space for the initial part of the project,” Khan said. He
added, “That would give us a head start. For us to put a plant like that in place would have taken
us two years to build. In that period jobs would have gone elsewhere, Trinidad and further
afield.”
He explained that when that happens, money does not come to Guyana, Khan pointed out.
“When we are able to bring that work onshore the profit stays here. Meanwhile, it was noted that
the modern facility will be outfitted with several state- of- the-art computerised and American
controlled machines. Chief Operating Officer, Doug Hemstreet disclosed that the idea is to
mirror the high-quality operation of K+B Industries in America, noting that the same top tier
technology and experience will be utilised at Enmore. “It means technology, it means training, it
means the best equipment that we can bring here and have available…We are going to be
bringing our expertise foremost, as far as our part for this, the expertise in the oil and gas
industry as it relates to OCTG, premium accessories, premium threading and turn key
manufacture,” Hemstreet said.
Further, GKB has begun its recruitment process, starting with the 42 workers currently employed
at the Enmore Packaging Plant. It was revealed that the strategic approach is also in keeping with
President Irfaan Ali’s stern directive that persons currently working at the sugar factory must
remain employed. The partnership will ensure that there is a seamless transition, by the workers
from the Guyana Sugar Corporation to GKB Industries.
President Ali, had publicly hailed GKB for its remarkable move, when the announcement was
made on day two of the recent International Energy Conference and Expo, held at the Marriott,
Georgetown. “These are highly skilled jobs being created and the company has committed to
commence that process almost immediately to have the eventual 500 employees trained and
ready to take up jobs in the company,” Ali said. In a media interview, GKB’s Chief Executive
Officer, Faizal Khan said that the company’s head community affairs officer has started

consulting with community members, with an effective plan.   “We are weeks in already, we
would have mentioned already this has been one and five o’clock in the mornings phone calls,
trips up and down, the engagement with the community in Enmore has already started. We have
already started looking at projects we can do in and around the Enmore community,” the vice
president said.
Additionally, he revealed that senior officers from the human resources, health and safety, and
admin departments are also in the fields engaging ex- sugar workers and other persons to
advance the process. It was disclosed that the GKB team also presented to the workers the
company’s plans, while both sides shared their enthusiasm about the new venture. “We have
agreed to take on the entire Enmore facility team, which guaranteed jobs in the transition from
sugar to oilfield. Given that this is a different industry, the current staff will require training,” the
CEO said. The CEO continued, “They will be trained by GKB with trainers from America
coming to Guyana regularly. The GKB training is going to last a minimum of 90 days and
includes health and safety as well as Oilfield Machine Shop Training. We were happy to meet
and interact with the people and we look forward to working with them.”

He noted that the training will ensure that the workers can efficiently transition into the new
sector, which has strict health, safety and security standards and requires more technical skills
than they may have been used to in the sugar industry. “There would be regular drug and alcohol
screenings. The training will take some time, it will take money, but we are committed to making
it work and have already started investing into their oilfield training programme,” the CEO
added. It was pointed out that thus far, 12 females and 30 males have registered for the transition
into the new company.
Meanwhile, the CEO commended President Ali for the initiative, “On this occasion, I would like
to thank the President himself personally for the continued support he has been giving us. This is
a true demonstration that I fully endorse as a ‘One Guyana’ initiative.” GKB Industries is a
majority owned Guyanese company, established in 2020 through two existing service companies
for ExxonMobil, Guysons and K+B Industries. Guysons is a 30-year-old engineering local firm,
while K&B Industries has been a trusted supplier of OCTG tubular threading services,
machining, manufacturing and assembly services for the oil and gas industry over decades.