PARAMARIBO, Suriname - President Jennifer Simons says the oil and gas sector alone will not create sufficient employment in Suriname and that investments should therefore be made in other sectors of the economy.
“The oil sector is characterized by high revenues and few jobs. It is therefore the surrounding sectors that must offer our people high-quality employment,” President Simons told the three day Sustainable Suriname 3.0 Summit that ends here on Wednesday.
The government said that the summit serves as the starting point of a broader process that aligns with the Suriname Roadmap and that this involves working on a joint development vision for the period 2040 to 2050.
President Simons said that the development vision must be broadly supported and transcend government boundaries.
Oil, Gas and Environment Minister, Patrick Brunings also warned that Suriname should not focus exclusively on the oil and gas industry, saying there is a risk that other economic sectors will be hollowed out because all available labour will migrate to the energy sector. “You don’t want to concentrate solely on local content for oil and gas, otherwise you will completely drain the other sectors,” said Brunings, describing the desired future as “a green, healthy, and sustainable Suriname”.
He also calling for a development agenda that remains even after changes of government, noting that legally anchoring the roadmap would offer the best guarantee.
The summit is expected to develop further the 10 point so called “Strategic Lanes” with the chairman of the National Development Platform (NOP), Karl Eckhorst, telling delegates that Suriname is on the cusp of profound economic changes, and now is the moment to make the right choices.
“We are on the eve of major developments. Therefore, it is important to hold these discussions now, but also to take concrete actions to prepare for them,” said Eckhorst, adding that while the NOP will not draft a national development plan itself, it aims to provide the building blocks for a broadly supported long-term vision.
In addition, he is calling on the general public to be actively involved in the initiative saying “it is important that we involve society from the formulation of the plans”.
