The Week in Review

Contract Gov’t seals US$34m e-ID card deal: Arising out of its request for assistance from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2021, the Government of Guyana yesterday inked a US$34 million contract with German-headquartered company, Veridos, for the production and rollout of an electronic citizenship card that consolidates the data of the holder, providing for easier access to public and private sector services. 

Elections Next general elections due Nov or Dec 2025 – Jagdeo: Guyana’s next general elections will be held in November or December 2025 owing to the five-month impasse that followed the 2020 polls.

Transparency Guyana suspended from EITI: Guyana has been suspended from the global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) for failure to submit a report for 2020, sources tell Stabroek News.

June 12 is new date for Local Government Elections: Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall on February 15th informed GECOM  that June 12, 2023, has been selected as the date for the long overdue Local Government Elections (LGE).

Fire Parika market complex gutted by fire: A massive fire on Saturday (February 11th) gutted the entire Parika Marketing Complex located on the East Bank of Essequibo (EBE) along with other stalls which were on the road side, leaving dozens of  vendors counting their losses.

Celebrity Letitia Wright conferred with honorary PhD, key to the city: Guyana-born British actress, Letitia Wright, popularly known for her role in the Black Panther movie, ‘Wakanda Forever’, was last Wednesday conferred with a Honorary Doctorate, Honoris Causa, by the University of Guyana (UG).

Tragedy Two women drown at Feather Beach: Two Region Two families are mourning the deaths of two mothers who drowned last at Feather Beach in Region Two.

  Economy Budget set at $781.9b: Boasting that it is a budget for all Guyanese and one for “now and the future”, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh last Monday presented a whopping $781.9 billion budget – some 41.4% more than the $552.9 billion budget last year.

Fire Fire destroys Christ Church Secondary: A fire of unknown origin gutted the Christ Church Secondary School on Camp and Middle streets last Thursday afternoon, just days after combustion in a lab had to be quelled.

Oil and gas Deal inked for US$759m gas to energy plants: In what will be the country’s most expensive public sector project ever, the contract to build the US$759 million, 300 MW combined-cycle power plant and a natural gas liquids (NGL) facility at Wales, West Bank Demerara (WCD), was on Tuesday inked between Guyana and US companies CH4/Lindsayca.

Elections Political parties sign code of conduct – The 11 political parties, which have been approved to contest the March 2nd, 2020 elections, signed a Code of Conduct on Thursday under the auspices of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC).

Oil & Gas Guyana stands to lose US$55B in bad oil deal – Saying that available data show that Guyana has an oil deal far below global standards and will lose out on up to US$55 Billion over the 40-year period of the licence for the offshore Stabroek Block, international corruption watchdog Global Witness has written to ExxonMobil urging a renegotiation.

Oil & Gas Oil production begins: ExxonMobil on Friday night announced the start of oil production from the Liza field, offshore Guyana ahead of schedule and less than five years after the first find of hydrocarbons.

Sugar Sugar workers in countrywide strike for pay hikes: Over 3,000 sugar workers across the country began a strike last week for increased wages, which they have not been granted over the past five years as a result of what they believe is clear discrimination.

Oil Exxon to get first oil lift: ExxonMobil will take the first three liftings of crude oil from the country’s huge offshore deposits and Guyana will receive its share in its ground-breaking petroleum endeavour beginning around March next year.

Elections No going back to Parliament: While Attorney General Basil Williams says that a “crisis situation” will result if the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) does not return to the National Assembly, his predecessor and PPP executive Anil Nandlall says government must absorb that blame as his party remains adamant that it will not be returning to the House.

Politics Lengthy gap between Nomination, Election days in draft timeline for polls: The draft schedule of timelines presented by the Secretariat of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) includes a 55-day gap between Nomination Day and Elections Day, we published on September 9th, according to a source.

Politics GECOM Secretariat sees March as earliest time for polls: The Secretariat of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on Friday, September 6th, presented to the commissioners a draft schedule of timelines which set the earliest date for General and Regional Elections as March 2020.

Politics GECOM ending house-to-house early to prepare for polls: Retired judge Claudette Singh, the new Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairperson, on Tuesday, August 27th, took the decision to conclude the national house-to-house registration exercise early as the body moves towards the holding of general elections “within the shortest time possible.”

Oil Tullow finds oil in Orinduik Block: Director, Department of Energy, Dr Mark Bynoe on August 12th announced that UK-based Tullow Oil Plc’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Tullow Guyana B.V,