Beyond the Oil Boom: Why Guyana’s Future Depends on STEM Education and Innovation

Mar 16, 2025 Features / Columnists, News, Waterfalls Magazine

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By Karen Abrams, MBA, AA, Doctoral Candidate

Kaieteur News- As an education technology researcher, I see Guyana standing at a pivotal moment in our history. The discovery of vast oil reserves has propelled our nation into an era of staggering economic growth, with GDP soaring by 43.6% in 2024 (Singh, Ashni Dr. presentation national budget, 2025) fueled largely by oil revenues. Yet, beneath this windfall lies a sobering reality, oil, while transformative, is finite. To secure long-term prosperity, we must look beyond the rigs and pipelines and invest in our greatest renewable resource, our people. I believe the key lies in STEM education and innovation, the bedrock upon which diversified, sustainable economies are built.

History offers clear warnings. The “resource curse,” a term coined by economists, haunts nations that rely too heavily on a single commodity. Countries like Venezuela and Nigeria, despite their oil wealth, have grappled with economic instability, corruption, and underdevelopment. With our newfound riches, I worry that we risk repeating these mistakes unless we channel our wealth into building a knowledge-based economy. The stakes are high, but so are the opportunities.

I look at nations like Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, places that transformed themselves from resource-dependent economies into global innovation hubs by prioritizing STEM education and technology-driven industries. Singapore’s focus on research and engineering turned it into a leader in biotechnology and finance (World Bank, 2018), while the UAE now invests heavily in AI and renewable energy, recognizing that oil alone cannot sustain progress (IRENA, Renewable Energy Market Analysis: GCC, 2021). We, too, can follow suit, but only if we act decisively.

As someone deeply engaged in education technology, I see agriculture as a sector central to our identity yet ripe for modernization. Today, farming remains largely traditional, but integrating precision agriculture and AI-driven tools could revolutionize yields. Brazil, for instance, leveraged agri-tech to become a global agricultural powerhouse (FAO, Innovation in Agriculture: Case Studies from Brazil, 2023). Imagine our rice fields monitored by drones or our farmers using soil sensors to optimize crop health. These innovations demand a workforce skilled in STEM, capable of merging tradition with technology.

Similarly, renewable energy presents a dual opportunity. As the world shifts towards green economies, I see our abundant sunlight, wind, and hydropower positioning Guyana as a Caribbean leader in clean energy. More solar farms across the country or wind turbines along the coast are achievable goals, but only with engineers and technicians trained in STEM fields (IRENA Renewable Energy Roadmap for Guyana, 2022). Meanwhile, the global digital economy, projected to contribute 25% of global GDP by 2030 (McKinsey, 2023), offers another frontier. Rwanda’s success in coding education and digital infrastructure proves that even small nations can compete on the tech stage (UNCTAD, Digital Economy Report, 2021). I believe our path forward requires coding bootcamps, AI labs, and partnerships with tech giants to nurture homegrown innovators.

Yet, the foundation for this transformation remains shaky. Only 15% of our secondary students pursue advanced STEM subjects (Guyana Ministry of Education, Annual Statistical Digest, 2023), a gap that threatens our ambitions. I see the solution starting early, introducing robotics, AI and coding in primary schools, as studies show early exposure fuels lifelong interest (UNESCO, Cracking the Code: Girls’ Education in STEM, 2022). It also demands collaboration; universities partnering with industries to design curricula that align with market needs and scholarships ensuring bright minds don’t leave for opportunities abroad.

Policy plays a critical role in this transformation. Expanding access to quality STEM education, particularly for girls and rural communities, must be a priority. Technical and vocational training programs should be strengthened to equip youth with practical skills, from repairing solar panels to programming AI algorithms. I envision innovation hubs, modeled on Singapore’s tech parks, sparking entrepreneurship, while public-private partnerships fast-track research into sectors like biofuels or cybersecurity.

The oil boom has given us a rare chance to rewrite our future. But wealth, if squandered on short-term gains, will evaporate like gasoline. The true legacy of this moment lies not in barrels extracted, but in minds empowered. By investing in STEM education today, we can build an economy resilient to oil’s volatility, one where farmers, engineers, and tech entrepreneurs drive progress. As an education technology researcher, I believe the choice is clear: cling to the fleeting promise of oil or plant the seeds for a harvest that sustains generations. The time to act is now.

(Beyond the Oil Boom: Why Guyana’s Future Depends on STEM Education and Innovation)

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