ExxonMobil Guyana’s expanding involvement in government-linked events and programmes is raising questions about the company’s approach to corporate engagement in a country where political and ethnic divisions remain deeply rooted.

An examination by Village Voice News of events and programmes over the past year found ExxonMobil sponsoring, partnering with or supporting initiatives involving government ministries, senior officials and public institutions.

The pattern does not establish that ExxonMobil is acting politically or favouring the governing PPP/C. However, the concentration of its corporate activities around government-linked initiatives has fuelled a perception among some observers that the company’s corporate politics could be partisan-driven.