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Oil Secrets of Suriname: Public Largely in the Dark as Offshore Dreams Deferred

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Harvey Panka | June 6, 2023

For the people of Suriname, offshore oil is supposed to be a game-changer. As they have struggled through a protracted economic crisis over the past decade, they have watched lucrative deep-water discoveries transform neighbouring Guyana. They have also heard their own leaders promise that a similar oil boom will come soon to Suriname, bringing badly needed jobs and wealth for the country’s more than 600,000 people and helping resolve a debt crisis that recently led to riots in the capital. But the people are still waiting. The Final Investment Decision for Suriname’s first deep-water drilling project has been deferred repeatedly, and mounting frustration with the delay has highlighted the secrecy surrounding the nascent industry. 

“We should at least know what kind of contracts have been made, and don’t come up with stories that it’s confidential between us and [foreign oil companies],” Surinamese environmentalist Erlan Sleur told the Caribbean Investigative Journalism Network.

Procurement, Special Projects and Citizenship By Investment

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Jermine Abel | May 31, 2023

St. Kitts and Nevis is one of the smallest states within the Western Hemisphere as well as within  the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. The Federation boasts a strong economy but even as it claims success in this aspect, there are serious concerns that its laws do not go far enough to minimize or stamp out corruption and corrupt practices. Attempts are now being made to remedy that situation through legislative amendments but progress is slow towards completion, especially the Tender and Procurement Legislation, which continues to be a major suggested area of corruption. For many years, there have been murmurs over the way successive governments have been operating the Tender and Procurement Processes, and whether they have been honouring the parameters of the laws of the land. 

With a population of more than 53,000, St.

2023 Special Reports

Amidst Flooding Fears, Hope for Bridges Grows

School children and residents above the Rabacca Dry River struggle as rainfall and flooding increases

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Gloridene Hoyte-John | April 28, 2023

The dramatic and powerful eruptions of the La Soufriere volcano on April 9, 2021, on the Island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines led to the evacuation of 20,000 people from the so-called “red zone.” – nearly 5 percent of the 110,000 population of the Caribbean country. While the eruptions and evacuations were deeply traumatic – including no drinking water for weeks – the last two years have been full of more struggles for the evacuees as the government and aid organizations have slowly replaced or rebuilt the housing lost during the disaster.

2023 Special Reports

Can Guyana Avoid the Oil Curse?

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Isanella Patoir | April 5, 2023

With enormous oil reserves, Guyana stands on the threshold of transformation. Its economy grew more than 60 per cent in 2022 largely because of an influx of oil revenues. But the nation’s rich resources come with promised opportunities and serious risks.

In 2023, the challenge is to ensure those financial resources are put to work improving education and healthcare for Guyana’s people, protecting its environment and diversifying the nation’s overall economy.

CIJN spoke with some of Guyana’s civic leaders who warn it can only be done if the government opens its books to the public and promotes a national dialogue about how this newfound wealth can be put to work.