The inaugural International Energy Conference and Expo, held in February this year, has been hailed as a resounding success and next year, the conference is expected to extend its focus on other areas that are associated with Guyana’s ongoing transformation.
The 2023 edition of the conference was launched on Friday at the Marriott Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown.
The conference’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Angenie Abel said that next year’s conference and expo will be held from February 14 to 17, under the theme: “Harnessing energy for development.”
And with this theme, she said that much of the focus will be placed on how energy development is aiding the development of other sectors, specifically the agriculture, forestry, tourism, mining and housing sectors.
“One of our goals for the next edition of the Energy Conference is to deepen the discourse by extending our reach into new areas of energy research and ensuring that there is growth and diversity of persons and nationalities that come here to participate,” Abel told the gathering at the Marriott Hotel.
Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips was among those who affirmed that the inaugural conference generated several benefits for Guyanese business people and the general public.
And he emphasised that the upcoming conference will allow people to benefit from ideas in the latest technology. The Prime Minister also assured the gathering that the government will not only use the discussions to inform its decisions but that the resources will be harnessed in a sustainable and beneficial way.
Meanwhile, Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat welcomed the conference and its expanded focus on the other areas of development. He noted that behind all of the local and international interest in Guyana’s oil industry are other sectors set to thrive.
“But all of this is being stimulated by the oil industry,” he said, calling on the organisers to focus on the wider developmental trajectory of Guyana and not just oil and gas development.
