The Department of Public Information earlier this week reported that Guyana’s Minister within the Ministry of Works, Deodat Indar, “highlighted Guyana’s investment opportunities to investors at the recent Bilateral Chamber in Houston, Texas” staged “on the sidelines of the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC)” in Houston, Texas, in his capacity as Head of Delegation to the forum.
Guyana’s accelerated promotion of its investment prospects is being rolled out on the back of the broader attention which the country has attracted on account of its new-found high profile image as a world class oil producer. The country’s accelerated investment promotion push has, in recent years, been highlighted by what is now a globally popular annual investment promotion forum held in Guyana and attended by high-profile participants from across the globe, as well as what is now the commonplace steady inflow of delegates to regional and international conferences, fora in which governments and International Organi-zations from across the world, seeking to establish business bridgeheads here, continue to show interest.
On the whole, Guyana’s oil and gas resources has made the country one of the most talked-about jurisdictions anywhere, its image as a potential investment haven triggering an elaborate image-enhancing physical ‘makeover’ in sectors that include physical infrastructure, hospitality and tourism. The government seemingly anticipates that these undertakings will provide a generous measure of ‘payback’ as the country continues to attract increasing international attention through the various sectors where growth is expected to be driven by the wider global interest in the country’s oil sector. The DPI report asserted that Indar’s address “provided insight into Guyana’s transformation and energy strategy, and discussed matters surrounding foreign direct investment.”
The ‘shape’ of Guyana’s day-to-day foreign policy undertakings has been largely reshaped in response to what is now a more generous measure of official attention to foreign economic policy shaped by the country’s newly accessed oil deposits and what is now an envisaged official push to transform its ‘oil wealth’ into actual economic transformation. Contextually, this pursuit has been characterized by a substantial ‘makeover’ of the country’s diplomatic infrastructure, characterized by the establishment of ‘bricks and mortar’ bridgeheads in the Middle East, and an elevated interest in day-to-day in relations with North America, Europe and Africa. As has been the practice in recent times when ministers of government undertake overseas duties, Indar reportedly, “provided insight into Guyana’s transformation and energy strategy, and discussed matters surrounding foreign direct investment.” The DPI report did not elaborate on the specifics of the matters raised during the discourses.
