THE Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), in collaboration with the Latin American Energy Organisation (OLADE), hosted a consultation workshop for key stakeholders titled ‘Human Resources Management, Energy Statistics & Planning Awareness’ on Monday at the Pegasus Hotel, Georgetown.

The workshop was conceptualised under the framework of the ‘Caribbean Energy Statistics Capacity Enhancement Project’ which has been implemented and supported by OLADE and the International Development Association – World Bank.

The Project’s main objective is to enhance energy statistics planning and management capacity and to implement national energy information systems within five Caribbean countries – Belize, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, and Suriname.

The key output of the implementation of a National Energy Information Management System is expected to be in place by mid-2019.

With Guyana being one of the beneficiaries of the project, the main purpose of the workshop was to inform participants of :- the overall project, the requirements for information management and energy planning, as well as human resources management and energy statistics.

During his opening remarks, Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson, expressed gratitude to OLADE on behalf of the Government of Guyana for the support the Organisation has lent to Guyana’s energy sector over the years. He expressed the view that the workshop “….presents an opportunity for dialogue on the importance of energy statistics in driving the transformation and evolution of the sector and the critical role that each organisation in attendance play in the collection, analysis and reporting of energy information…”

Some of the topics covered during the session were: Information management and Energy Planning, Human Resources Management and Energy Statistics, the National Energy Sector – Data Management and Challenges.

The workshop was attended by representatives from the Ministry of the Presidency Department of Environment, Guyana Sugar Corporation, Guyana Revenue Authority, Rubis, GUYOIL, Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Public Utilities Commission, Guyana Power and Light, Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Finance, Institute of Applied Science and Technology and the Guyana Energy Agency.

Guyana has been a member of OLADE since 1973 when the Lima Convention was ratified. Over the years, Guyana has benefitted from several partnerships with OLADE particularly in the areas of capacity building and rural electrification.