Working through the twin distractions of an as yet undetermined outcome to the country’s March 2 general elections and shortly on the heels of the poll the onset of the coronavirus, Guyana’s Department of Energy appears focused on remaining on even keel with reports earlier this week disclosing that the entity is moving to engage the services of a suite of high-level specialists in various disciplines, part of a process of equipping itself with the skills necessary to ensure that the country’s new found oil and gas resources are effectively managed.

Guyana’s ‘rush’ to transitioning from an essentially agricultural economy to a fully-fledged oil-producing country, potentially poised for a dramatic economic takeoff, has amounted to a proverbial blur, the period between the first significant oil discovery announcement by ExxonMobil and the first ‘lift’ of ‘black Gold from the Liza Phase inside the Stabroek Block having occurred in less than five years.

With the country now having become a substantive oil producer/exporter, the Department of Energy, which functions under the Office of the Presidency has quickly metamorphosed into one of the country’s most important state agencies.