The following is an Open Letter to the President of Guyana sent electronically and as printed letter. We are writing this Open Letter on behalf of the Civic component of the Multi-Stakeholder Group in order to set the record straight concerning Guyana’s suspension from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). Judging from the opinions attributed…
By Alissa Trotz, (Referenced Insurance Doc inside here: https://www.oggn.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/EPA-Supplemental-Affidavit-23-Jan-2023.pdf) On Monday May 29th, Esso and the EPA get another chance to argue for a stay of Justice Kissoon’s ruling that Esso was in breach of the permit requirements for insurance. Exxon’s own modelling shows that an oil spill will not be confined to Guyana, but…
Introduction: Pillars Today’s discussion concludes my evaluation of the tenth and final topic on the list of “top-10 development challenges”, which Guyana will face, as it starts to receive its petroleum revenues next year. As promised last week, I shall start with an introduction of the “four pillars” on which the Fiscal Transparency Code rests….
Every Man, Woman and Child in Guyana Must Become Oil-Minded – Part 87 – June 11, 2021 Introduction With appreciation to the editor-in-chief of Stabroek News, this column which last appeared on April 17, 2020, is returning for a short series. It will feature the 2020 financial performance of the three companies which signed a…
The Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) that Guyana has with ExxonMobil is fraught with opportunities for abuse. In fact, these very loopholes could result in a significant dent in the revenue Guyana is supposed to get from the oil find by the operator. This was noted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a report that…
In a succinct and elegant statement, Thomas Dye defines public policy as “anything a government chooses to do or not to do” (Dye, 1972: 2). Public policy therefore has a wide reach and affects all sectors of society. It encompasses laws, any actions of government, funding priorities and the regulations that reflect given positions, attitudes,…
Here is an idea that should be given top priority. Guyana needs to build up an entrepreneurial class. Guyana needs to develop a class of Guyana’s Product Brands. (Currently Guyana has only one such brand -15-year-old rum. Europe and North America cannot get enough of Guyana’s rum). Guyana needs a dozen new export products not…
I recommend the article written by Ann Usher on ‘Indigenous groups in Guyana raise alarm over historic issuance of carbon credits by Norwegian-funded certifier’, Development Today, 23 December 2022. Available at: https://development-today.com/archive/dt-2022/dt-9-10—2022/indigenous-groups-in-guyana-raise-alarm-over-historic-issuance-of-carbon-credits-by-norwegian-funded-certifier. Development Today describes itself as ‘a free-standing journal covering Nordic aid, produced with no grants from donors or NGOs. Our journalism is funded by…
The major newspapers have warned them. The major newspapers dedicate lots of newspaper space daily to educate the nation about oil. The international group Global Witness of London has warned them. The diaspora group Oil and Gas Governance Network (OGGN) has warned them. The IMF has warned them. The International think-tank Chatham House of London…
The previous column critically analysed the cost components of the production sharing agreement with ExxonMobil. We noted that the legal aspects did not cover all the possible cost scenarios, which is crucial for PSA-type contracts. In keeping with the theme of this series of essays, I argue the legal protection against cost uncertainty does not…
