Guyana could be the model to lift the Caribbean out of poverty

By Victor Dixon

Not many years ago many Guyanese were fleeing this small Caribbean nation on the northern tip of South America with the mantra “anywhere but Guyana” and opting for a life in the winters in Europe or North America.

Guyana is actually in South America but is considered a part of the Caribbean because of close cultural and political ties. It is the only country in South America that speaks English, has a smaller Latin American population than other Latin American countries, and is a member of CARICOM (Caribbean Community) – the economic organization of Caribbean states.

Guyana’s long-struggling economy was radically transformed in 2015 with the discovery of a rich offshore oil field in Guyana’s Stabroek Block that promised to spur growth in other economic sectors and to dramatically raise the country’s standard of living.

There is little said about this, if at all, by the media, which tends to focus on crime, inflation, and other economic problems.