14/06/2026
Adams Says Foreign Firms Now Dominate Guyana’s Resources.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (Credible Sources), June 13, 2026 - Former EPA Head Dr. Vincent Adams on Thursday warned that Guyana’s sovereignty is being threatened by growing foreign control over the country’s natural resources, telling a PNCR symposium that “instead of having cane fields, we have oil fields,” and instead of colonial-era companies, “we now have Exxon, Hess, Chevron.” Speaking under the theme “Continuing the Independence Struggle,” Adams said Guyana is being “shackled… with shinier chains.”
Adams said the issue was not foreign investment itself, which he called necessary, but foreign companies allegedly controlling government decisions. “The issue is all about foreign investors controlling this government, thumbing their noses at our laws,” he said, citing Justice Sandil Kissoon’s ruling that Exxon was enabled by “a derelict, pliant, and submissive government.”
He also warned that Guyana lacks adequate protection against a major oil spill, accusing the government of joining Exxon in challenging a court ruling on financial guarantees. “If we have a spill… the government of Guyana does not have any protection,” Adams said, arguing that ExxonMobil’s name does not appear on key permits and contracts, leaving liability with a subsidiary.
Adams said true independence requires Guyanese control of national resources, stronger education, and adherence to the rule of law. “The only path forward to real independence and energy and environmental security is to revert back to making education and following the rule of law the highest priorities of the nation,” he said, adding that Guyana must pursue co-management of oil projects and consider a national oil company.
