BBC World Questions arrives in Guyana

Last Updated on Thursday, 10 April 2025, 23:59 by Writer

BBC World Questions will be coming to Guyana to debate the country’s political and economic future in the capital, Georgetown.

Jonny Dymond will chair the debate on Tuesday, 6 May with leading politicians, journalists and civil society activists taking questions from a public audience.

Vast offshore oil and gas reserves are transforming the nation. Guyana is now the fastest growing economy in the world. But amid territorial tensions with neighbouring Venezuela and environmental concerns, will oil prove to be a blessing or a curse? And how should the oil revenues be best spent?

The BBC World Service programme, which puts people and their questions at the heart of the debate, will be presented by the BBC Correspondent, Jonny Dymond. Jonny will chair the hour-long debate which will be led by questions from a live audience.

The panel will include:

• Gail Teixeira – Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, The People’s Progressive Party/Civic
• Aubrey Norton – Leader of the Opposition, People’s National Congress Reform Party
• Ayodele Dalgety Dean – Businesswoman and civil society activist
• Anand Persaud – Editor-in-chief, Stabroek News

Gwenan Roberts, Commissioning Editor, BBC World Service English, says: “We are thrilled to be coming to Guyana’s capital Georgetown for BBC World Questions, in what is a period of unprecedented economic growth for the country. We encourage audiences to attend and look forward to hearing about the issues that matter most to people locally.”

The programme will be recorded in front of a live audience on Tuesday 6 May at the Marriott Hotel in Georgetown.

There will be a reception beforehand with refreshments starting at 6 p.m. Register to be in the audience HERE.

BBC World Questions: Guyana will be first broadcast on World Service English on Saturday 10 May. It will be available online, on BBC Sounds and on most other podcast platforms.

The programme is produced by Helen Towner.

BBC World Service delivers news content around the world in English and 41 other language services, on radio, TV, and digital. BBC World Service reaches a weekly audience of 320m (BBC Global Audience Measure 2024).

BBC World Service English is an English-language radio and online network that broadcasts internationally. BBC World Service English reaches a weekly audience of 84m (2024), broadcasting news and current affairs programmes such as Newsday, Newshour, The Newsroom, OS and The Inquiry. It also broadcasts a range of documentaries including People Fixing the World, In the Studio, The Documentary, The Forum, Heart and Soul, and The Climate Question. Recent popular podcasts delivered by BBC World Service English include Love Janessa, The Lazarus Heist, and Dear Daughter, which won the 2022 Podcast of the Year award at the British Podcast Awards. For more information, visit bbc.com/worldservice.