A COMMUNICATION specialist/firm is being sought by the Department of Energy (DoE), to ‘ramp-up’ the messaging about Guyana’s oil and gas sector, Director of the unit, Dr. Mark Bynoe has said.

He cited the apparent lack of knowledge particularly amongst the average citizen about the multibillion-dollar sector during a recent interview on an NCN Voice of Guyana radio programme. Acknowledgement was made of the “good support” from the Ministry of the Presidency’s Press and Publicity Unit and the Department of Public Information (DPI) by Dr. Bynoe who opined a need to enhance his department’s communication strategy, “to really seek to educate Guyanese as to what oil and gas mean”.

According to the director, his department has taken the initiative to increase consultations. To this end, when it comes to educating Guyanese in terms of oil and gas the Department of Energy will be engaging in more consultative outreaches, television and radio programmes, youth internships and expanding its social media presence.

Given the impending “first oil”, Dr. Bynoe stated that “we cannot sit on our hands and say “Let’s wait until 2020. There are things that have to be done now even as we move other pieces into place.” Dr. Bynoe, an Environment and Resource Economist and former head of the Project Development and Management Unit of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) was appointed by the coalition government to head its Department of Energy from August 1, 2018.