By Alexis Rodney

WITH less than three years before oil production commences here by oil and gas exploration company Exxon Mobil, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rashleigh Jackson, says there could be an influx of both foreign nationals and Guyanese within the Diaspora, but either way that inflow could do some good for the country.

In fact, Guyana is currently underpopulated and has seen a massive weakening of both its academic and technical expertise. As such if the revenues coming out of the new oil and gas sector could help to boost the population rate, then that could be a plus.

The former diplomat was speaking to the Guyana Chronicle on Wednesday. He said the coming of oil and its transformative impact on Guyana’s economy remains part of the national conversation, however, not much is being said about the impact the oil sector will have on immigration.

According to Jackson, Guyana’s population rate has stuck at the point it has been since 1972. Apart from the “brain drain”, there has also been depletion in the much needed technical skills. Most Guyanese fully armored with these have left the country to seek a better quality of life.

“If as a result of the oil revenue, we get to develop other industries then we will see the gain,” Jackson told the Guyana Chronicle. He was adamant that while everyone will not be able to work in the oil industry, the economic spill-off from the sector could create new opportunities and even help to improve the ones that currently exist.

“It is something about how you organise it; government just has to have a controlling role. The development of the oil and gas sector could be a pull factor, not only internally but externally because the opportunities are there,” he said in the exclusive interview.

According to him, persons should come to Guyana based on the opportunities that are available. “You have to show what areas needs external capacity. It is a question of how you organise it… It will become part of the economic spill-offs – the other activities that will result from the revenues from oil and therefore there is a way government can have a control of the immigration.”
Jackson said Guyana can learn much from countries such as Kuwait, whose economy has been the bolstered by the oil industry. Kuwait, like Qatar has small populations, but has been importing people to work.

The Consul-General in New York has already reported that many Guyanese have been flooding the office enquiring about opportunities existing in the upcoming petroleum industry, and how they could “tap into the resources in Guyana.”

According to Jackson, oil and gas will be the new economic frontier; however he is sometimes perturbed by the negativity that oftentimes dominates the public conversation on oil. He said he does not think that enough attention is being placed on what Guyana should do to extract maximum benefits from the proceeds that will come from oil.

According to the former foreign affairs minister, enough attention is also not being given to the positive things that are being done. This included the Muneshwar Port, an investment that has already been put in place for the coming industry. He said also that there seems to be no attempt by the companies to become involved in capacity-building. According to him, positive things that are being done should be highlighted.

“What we are being told is how incapable we are, how we are going to be ripped off. And the positives that exist, I don’t see that coming out. I am looking to the future. To what extent the development plan that arises will have input from civil society and other political units.”

He said he was impressed by government’s indication that revenues from the oil industry could be used to further modernise and develop other sectors. While there has not been a deep analysis of this plan, Jackson said it signals hope.

He too expanded on the need for training of persons for the oil sector.