Building a National Innovation Ecosystem for Exponential Economic Growth

Sep 14, 2025 Features / Columnists, News

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By Karen Abrams, MBA, AA, Doctoral Candidate

Kaieteur News – I have watched Estonia for years. A nation of about 1.4 million people on roughly 18,000 square miles with GDP near 43 billion USD and per-capita income around 31,000 USD, it keeps punching above its weight because of deliberate choices in digital government and a culture that backs business builders. Universal digital identity, secure e-signatures, and one-stop online services are policy decisions that expand national capacity. There are more than 1500 technology startup companies registered in Estonia. This country has mastered the building of an innovation eco-system and they offer lessons from which we can learn.

That Guyana produces the raw materials of brain power we need to cultivate a thriving innovation eco-system is not in doubt.  The problem is (with a few exceptions), the export of our brain power to more nurturing eco-systems where they are able to thrive and contribute to another nation’s development.  Consider people like Dr. Suresh Narine in biomaterials and green chemistry. Dr. Claudette Williams-Myers in chemical engineering and academia. Dr. Deborah Persaud at Johns Hopkins for groundbreaking pediatric HIV work. Dr. Terrence Blackman in mathematics and academic leadership. Dr. Valerie Jones Brown in mental health and neuroscience. Dr. David Ramnarine in astrophysics with NASA experience. Dr. Mellissa Ifill in the social sciences and political analysis. Dr. Michelle Floris-Moore in infectious diseases and faculty development. Dr. Dawn I. Fox at the University of Guyana converting local waste into value-added materials for environmental solutions. The list goes on and on. Our talent is abundant.

The thing about innovation though, is that it cannot be centrally planned. Innovators are not clock-punchers. They pull at ideas around the clock, researching, thinking, building, breaking, failing, persisting, and failing again until a breakthrough comes. No salary grid can price that kind of stubborn creativity, which is why leaders must create the right ecosystem for them. An eco-system that identifies talent early, nurtures it, and removes friction so builders can build. The United States has long led in this regard because it is exceptional at identifying, recruiting, and nurturing talent, in all fields and wherever it can be found. The success of Guyanese abroad is a testament to that fact. If public and private sector leaders want exponential and enduring growth at home, they should emulate this approach with significant urgency.

This is not as difficult as it sounds however. Genius is everywhere in Guyana, opportunity is not. The government and the private sector must focus on building this eco-system on a platform of sponsorship and investment based on equal access, equal opportunity, and a commitment to excellence so that talent is rewarded wherever it is found.

We also need to face a hard truth. Guyana has a serious problem with sexual, physical, and psychological violence. In a small population like ours, that burden can derail any plan for innovation excellence. We need a national focus on mental health; trained counselors in schools and workplaces, tele-counseling for remote areas, and confidential support that helps families heal and students focus. Healthy minds learn faster, collaborate better, and innovate more.

It is also important to note that the ecosystem we build must reach every community. Young innovators in Black Bush, Karrau, Tiger Bay, Tabatinga, Lake Mainstay, Agricola, West Canje, Parika, Awaruwaunau, and every village in Guyana should have access to the resources they need to develop optimally. These are the young people who will solve local problems, create local companies, export ideas, and hire neighbours. Our leaders have to believe this, our learners have to believe this and we all have to invest in making this possible.  That is how oil revenue becomes an innovation dividend that outlives oil itself.

Parents, schools, government, private sector, civil society, and the diaspora all have roles. Children need confidence and must be raised with love and without violence if we truly want an improved society. Schools must also focus on project-based learning and tools that meet learners where they are. Classrooms should emphasize creation and collaboration, not only recall. Businesses must understand that a thriving innovation eco-system will improve their profitability significantly and they must therefore open doors for internships, sponsorships and apprenticeships.

By year-end 2024, total current revenue reached GYD 437.7 billion, up 14.5 percent over 2023, a sign of private-sector momentum. The Bank of Guyana reported a 21.8 percent increase in income-tax collection in the first half of 2024, driven by the expanding economy. These are tailwinds an innovation strategy will amplify and these results indicate that businesses have the breathing room for the necessary investments. When more firms formalize, adopt digital tools, and scale products for export, the economy becomes broader and more resilient. A strong innovation eco-system is how we create sustained and rapid non-oil expansion, better jobs, and higher wages in every region.

How will we know if our eco-system is working? We measure what matters. Time to register a company. Time to receive a permit. Number of startups formed by region. First-time exporters by village. Student mastery growth in reading, math, and digital skills. Uptake of counseling services and return-to-learning rates. Private capital leveraged. Publish results every quarter so the public can see progress.

If we act with focus, we will see faster, fairer services. We will see new firms in places that have been overlooked. We will see reverse migration as young people choose to build at home. Most of all, we will raise a generation that knows their ideas are welcome here.

Genius is everywhere in this country. Opportunity must be everywhere too.

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• economic growth, Estonia, Karen Abrams, National Innovation Ecosystem

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