POLITICS

In 2021, Guyana sought to move on from the 2020 political and constitutional crisis. Continued contestation of the election results was pursued peacefully and democratically, through the courts. Further, new draft legislation, aimed at revising electoral laws to lessen the chances of future political crises, was presented to parliament in November, with public scrutiny of the bill continuing into 2022. After a lengthy suspension of activities, Guyana’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) resumed its work in the second half of 2021, improving scrutiny of national expenditure.

ECONOMY

Guyana was one of the fastest growing economies in the world in 2021, thanks to 45% growth in oil and gas and 29.8% growth in construction. Overall GDP growth was 19.9% in 2021, whilst the non-oil economy (which contracted in 2020) grew by 4.6%. The 2022 budget now forecasts growth of 47.5%, driven by a potential tripling in oil production, with the non-oil economy forecast to grow by 7.7%. The lingering impacts of COVID-19 and the devastating floods significantly impacted business and the economy in 2021.

SOCIAL

Social policy initiatives in 2021 included the legalisation of ‘cross-dressing’. The step eliminates a law that the Caribbean Court of Justice previously flagged as inhibiting the right of freedom of expression. Guyana retained its ‘Tier 1’ ranking in the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report, and launched 592STOP, a hotline dedicated to reporting on people trafficking.

ENVIRONMENT

In October 2021, Guyana launched for consultation a draft of the new Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), with public consultations continuing into 2022. The plan describes how Guyana aims to moderate the effects of its economic growth on the environment and adapt to the risks of global heating. The strategy also sets out the Government’s plans to evaluate and cost forest and ecosystem services and prepare for their eventual monetization on global markets. Guyana made further plans to change its energy mix, notably by building a natural gas power plant (by 2025) and the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (by 2027). Both projects could significantly reduce the carbon intensity of Guyana’s energy production and use.