Tremendous engagement opportunities presented at energy conference – Min Singh

The government has expressed satisfaction with the countless valuable engagements and partnership opportunities presented by the International Energy Conference and Expo 2023.

Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh noted in his closing presentation, that the conference provided an excellent platform for discussing and exploring ways to support the growth and development of not only Guyana’s economy, but also those of partner countries.

It also enabled various governments to engage with private sector players and foreign investors to explore attractive financing models for upcoming projects.

“I think an event like this presented opportunities to engage at multiple levels, in multiple ways… In addition to the government representatives who would have contributed to the official programme, you also have other industry leaders… and private sector leaders as well speaking… And so, the first stream of engagement that I would highlight would be the official conference proceedings, and an opportunity for this wide audience, not only to hear from a diverse collection of speakers, but also to pose their own questions with their own perspectives, and engage with the various presenters within the context of this formal aspect,” Dr Singh pointed out.

He also weighed in on the exhibition aspect of the event.

Dr Singh pointed out that attendees benefitted from interaction with a wide cross-section of exhibitors and sponsors, gaining insight into business operations and simultaneously providing those exhibitors with exposure.

“From what I’ve seen, the expo presented a fantastic opportunity to showcase the rapidly changing face of the private sector. Because you had not only the traditional big names and the traditional big players who were expected to be there, but you saw a very interesting number of companies some of which are completely new, some are local, some are regional, some are international—being able to convey here again, to this audience and a much wider audience, what they are already doing in Guyana and with Guyana, and what they see as opportunities going forward,” he said.

The senior finance minister reiterated the importance of networking and the opportunities it brought for companies participating at the conference and opined that it was an ‘incredibly successful’ stream of engagement.

He also expressed his opinion that all participants in the expo are leaving with a firmer grip on the opportunities and activities in Guyana’s oil and gas sector, and in a better position to capitalise on those opportunities.

“We really are at an incredibly exciting time in Guyana’s history. The country is ripe with opportunities to do business. We are open for business. Our position as the government has welcomed investors and business partners from around the world and around the region.

“We’re very much open for business. We want as many international companies to be here in Guyana doing business, and it is our firm view that this event would have made a very significant contribution in creating and in showcasing opportunities for international and domestic investors to do business with Guyana,” Dr Singh added.

The International Energy Conference and Expo wraps up on Friday, February 17.