GUYANA is currently hosting yet another energy conference. This is the fourth such conference in as many years, which is indicative of the high premium placed by the PPP/C administration on energy security, which is so vital for accelerated growth and development.
This year’s conference theme ‘Connecting the Dots; Integrating the Future’ is very apt, and captures the government’s integrated approach to development, with emphasis on synergistic agro-industrial development within the framework of the country’s low-carbon development trajectory.
This year’s Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo saw for the first time the setting up of a Conference Village which highlighted the critical role played by agriculture in the overall national and regional development plans. Guyana has been playing a lead role in agricultural sectoral development in CARICOM, and in the process reverting the country to its former glory as the breadbasket of the Caribbean.

Apart from discussions and the sharing of perspectives on the issue of energy security and the challenges and opportunities the emerging oil-and-gas sector presented, the Conference also showcases Guyana’s enormous agricultural potential, and the opportunities and impacts the sector have in terms of trade and business.

This conference is a re-affirmation of the fact that despite the huge impact of oil and gas on the economy, agriculture still remains the backbone of the economy, and will not be subsumed under the petroleum dispensation. This is one way of ensuring that the so-called Dutch Disease does not take root in the country’s economic life.
The fact is that agricultural development is closely intertwined with that of energy. There is an organic nexus between agricultural production and the supply of cheap and reliable energy. In the context of climate change, agricultural production can be adversely impacted by weather extremes such as floods and droughts.

This is why it is so important to ensure that agricultural production technologies are aligned to climate adaptation measures such as ‘green’ and clean energy forms, and a gradual weaning away from dependence on fossil fuel.
The transition process to ‘green’ and cleaner energy will not, however, happen overnight. This is why it is so important to optimise the opportunities, and minimise possible threats that the oil-and-gas sector has to offer. Herein lies the importance of conferences such as these which bring policymakers, experts and key stakeholders under a single roof.

This is exactly what this energy conference seeks to achieve. It brings together a rich constellation of business partners, industry leaders and policymakers who are committed to innovation and collectively advance energy solutions and share insights to drive the transition towards a sustainable future.
The PPP/C administration must be commended for this important initiative, which will, undoubtedly, redound to the benefit of Guyana and the region as a whole.