ADDING her voice to the ongoing conversation on Local Content in Guyana’s petroleum sector, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, today, called for citizens to have protected opportunities to participate in the patrimony of their countries.

Speaking to the packed gathering of global, regional, and local leaders in government and private sector, PM Mottley said if opportunities are not provided for citizens to participate meaningfully in their country’s development, that could invite disruption.

The Barbados Prime Minister’s contribution to the International Energy Conference and Expo (2022) hosted at the Marriott Hotel based heavily on having difficult conversations.

More specifically, she spoke to the history of economic underdevelopment in the Caribbean as a result of colonisation, while calling for reparatory justice and for countries to strike a balance in developing their natural resources.

“We cannot save the earth and sacrifice our people,” the Caribbean leader declared as she called for heads of governments and states to facilitate these conversations, while recognising there are limited opportunities globally for transformational economic development of developing countries.

PM Mottley closed her presentation to a rousing sound of applause as she called on President Dr Irfaan Ali to support these difficult conversations and communicate those conversations so all citizens are made fully aware of these difficult conversations and solutions.

“You cannot move from being a highly indebted poor country to being where you are today without being given the opportunity first to bring along your people who have suffered the indignity of that poverty for decades, but secondly without being given the opportunity to participate globally in discussions that will affect your ability to manage the development of your people,” PM Mottley said as she expressed hope that this conference will trigger that international conversation.