Gov’t to establish Petroleum Commission, Youth Advisory Committee  

DPI, Guyana, Saturday, August 8, 2020

The Government will be establishing a Petroleum Commission to ensure that the oil and gas sector is not subjected to undue political interference.

This was announced by His Excellency, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the 9th Executive President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, during his Inauguration address today, at the National Cultural Centre (NCC).

“We will ensure that every cent of the revenues from the sector is accounted for, as well as every cent of it that is spent. There must be no doubt in the minds of our people that our country, our nation, our people are the beneficiaries of the oil and gas industry,” the Head of State emphasised.

He underscored that the citizens of Guyana must be the beneficiaries of the oil and gas industry.

“We will reduce the cost of energy by 50% through a mix of hydro, gas, solar, and wind, adding more than 400 megawatts of newly installed capacity over the next five years. High transportation cost will also be tackled through investments in a deep-water harbour, the Linden to Lethem Road, a high-span bridge across the Demerara River, and other transformational infrastructure projects.” 

Additionally, the President announced that a Youth Advisory Committee will be established in the coming weeks that will reflect our country’s rich religious and ethnic diversity.

“The future is theirs; it is right that, even now, they should help to shape it,” he said.

The President said, over the next five years, the Government will build the ladder on which “we will climb together, as a nation, to that mountain top – in unity and with dignity and with pride.” 

“I am conscious that while we are building our nation to give a better life to our current generation, we are also laying foundations for future generations,” he added. 

Therefore, he noted, a youthful Cabinet was appointed who “will have a strong hand in the future we chart.”