๐๐, ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ฒ๐๐ง๐
๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐นโ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐
Billions in oil revenues are flowing into state coffers at an unprecedented pace. Yet, for all this wealth, the structural realities remain deeply troubling: youth unemployment is persistently high, public healthcare and education systems are uneven at best, and procurement controversies continue to shadow major projects.
The uncomfortable truth is thisโeconomic expansion is not translating into broad-based empowerment.
๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ป๐ผ๐, ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฒ ๐ด๐น๐ผ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น ๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ธ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ถ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฎ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ.
๐ข๐ถ๐น ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐.
Today, the government is increasingly financed not by the productive output of its people, but by resource rents generated offshore. This matters. When a state does not depend on its citizens for revenue, it has fewer incentives to be transparent, efficient, or accountable. Taxation historically forced negotiation. Oil revenues bypass it.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ด๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ? ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป. ๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป. ๐๐ป๐ฑ, ๐๐ผ๐ผ ๐ผ๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ป, ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐.
The Natural Resource Fund, heralded as a mechanism for safeguarding national wealth, remains a point of contention, with repeated concerns about withdrawals, oversight, and political control. Major infrastructure contracts continue to raise questions about transparency and value for money. Meanwhile, citizensโwhose patrimony is being extracted at scaleโare largely spectators to decisions that will define their economic future.
๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น. ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น.
๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ถ๐.
As artificial intelligence and automation reduce the need for human labor across sectors, the economic relevance of the average worker will decline further. In Guyana, where oil already dominates and diversification remains more rhetorical than real, this could entrench a model where wealth is generated with minimal participation from the population.
๐ ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐โ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐, ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ด๐ป ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐โ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐น ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ถ๐น ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐บ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐-๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐? ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐น๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต.
This is how accountability erodesโnot through the removal of elections, but through the quiet stripping of their economic meaning.
A population that is not central to production has less leverage. A government that does not need broad-based taxation feels less pressure to justify its decisions. And a political system awash in rents can sustain inefficiency, patronage, and selective development far longer than a tax-dependent one ever could.
๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐บ๐ฝ๐๐ผ๐บ๐.
Despite record revenues, there is no commensurate urgency in transforming education to prepare citizens for a technologically disrupted future. No clear national strategy to ensure that AI and digital transformation create opportunities rather than deepen exclusion. No robust, independent enforcement architecture that consistently reassures citizens that public funds are being managed with integrity.
๐๐ป๐๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ, ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป: ๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐, ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐๐ต ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐น๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฏ๐ผ๐ผ๐ธโ๐๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐น๐ด๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ต๐บ๐.
If left unchecked, Guyana could become a country where wealth expands on paper while citizen power contracts in reality. A nation rich in resources, but poor in accountability. A democracy in form, but increasingly hollow in function.
๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒโ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ.
Reversing course will require more than policy tweaks. It demands a fundamental shift in governance: enforceable transparency in the Natural Resource Fund, truly independent procurement oversight, aggressive investment in human capital, and a clear framework to ensure that emerging technologies serve the manyโnot the few.
๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ฐ.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฐ.
And if Guyana fails to confront this moment with honesty and urgency, we may soon discover that the greatest risk of our oil wealthโand our AI futureโis not that it leaves us behind, but that it leaves most of us out.
๐๐๐ 592 ๐๐ช๐๐ง๐๐๐๐ฃ-๐๐ง๐ช๐ฉ๐ , ๐ผ๐๐๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฎ,๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ผ๐ฃ๐ ๐พ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐จ.
