_ The views and opinions expressed in guest editorials published in JPT are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, or views of SPE, its members, or its affiliates. _ Aspirations, plans, roadmaps, visions, and ambition for Guyana’s development have never been in short supply. Among everyday Guyanese, past and present politicians, technocrats, policymakers, and other well-wishers, there has always been consensus on the need for development and sustainability. The persistent shortage has been resources, both financial and human. We can debate the kind of economy postcolonial Guyana inherited and how it has fared over the past 60 years. What is not debatable is the outcome: a historically constrained economy marked by a high debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio, persistent unemployment, limited economic opportunity, and restricted access to finance and other forms of support for small businesses and entrepreneurs. According to the independent statistics organization Worldometer, Guyana’s GDP before the discovery of offshore oil in 2015 was around 5 billion. Fast-forward 10 years to 2025, and that figure was approximately 25 billion. Half of the development formula is now in place; the next challenge is the shortage of people needed to execute the country’s ambitions. This highlights that the nation has long suffered from massive brain drain. Most of our best and brightest minds have left Guyana. There were different drivers, leading to a push-pull effect; nevertheless, we now have a diaspora that rivals the in-country population in size. I was faced with a decision, as many of my peers have been in recent decades, to choose between staying home with limited professional opportunities and moving beyond the shore just 2 years after graduating from university in 2014. It was an easy decision to make—being able to take care of my family was the highest aspiration I could think of—but a hard one to live with, as the thought of leaving home risked leaving me heartbroken. I am now, thankfully, back in my homeland, where I am an active participant in my country’s transformation. Better yet, I know that the number of people who find themselves in the position I, and many others, once faced will decline over time as Guyana continues to blossom with opportunity. There is now a real urgency to recruit the right people in the numbers needed across the country. The Impact of Energy A decade has now passed since the first successful well was drilled offshore in 2015, and I can barely recognize the landscape compared with that of my childhood. The transformation is evident in new roads that crisscross the coast, new hospitals, new businesses, and massive new housing developments. A newly constructed bridge now stands tall on the horizon, linking East and West Demerara. The list goes on. The only fly in the ointment is the chaos it creates—an endless flurry of construction everywhere, juxtaposed with people going about their day-to-day business. This massive surge of capital development is set to continue. Yet one key need remains across the country: energy.
Kenny Bissoon (Wed,) studied this question.