Suriname is likely to host an international United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to promote ‘Suriname 2.0’, the vision for the next 50 years, Economic Affairs, Entrepreneurship and Technological Innovation Minister, Andrew Baasaron, has said.
He said the collaboration is intended to boost not only trade and tourism, but also the country’s factories and industry, with the goal of becoming a regional leader. His statement comes as President Jennifer Greelings-Simons has given her blessing for the launch of the Country Partnership Programme (PCP) with UNIDO, marking a significant step for the government toward economic diversification and sustainable industrial development. The head of state Monday met with Stein Hansen, director of the UNIDO-Barbados Global SIDS Hub, following the signing of a Joint Declaration in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, over two weeks ago.
The authorities say the partnership aims to diversify the Surinamese economy and expand its earning capacity, thereby reducing its dependence on sectors like offshore oil, gold, or bauxite.
UNIDO and Suriname have set aside a five-year period to develop a roadmap or blueprint for national development. The collaboration focuses on identifying and developing new economic sectors.
‘This country has an abundance of natural resources. It’s a very wealthy country. I can’t wait to work much more closely with the ministers, the president, the private sector, the business community, and other stakeholders so we can help shape the economy and the future priorities that President Simons and her cabinet set for the country when it comes to industrial development,’ said Hansen.
Baasaron, who also attended the meeting, said the collaboration focuses on, among other things, agro-culture, maritime culture, artificial intelligence, the digital economy, and foreign trade standards.
‘We’ve made it very clear that we want to diversify. This means that money will soon come in from oil revenues, from offshore oil revenues. But we don’t want to be an economy that, like in the past, rests solely on, for example, gold or bauxite for revenue. And now on that offshore oil.’
The authorities said that the next six to 12 months will be dedicated to intensive collaboration between the government, the business community, and civil society to analyse the country’s potential and develop final plans.
They said that this national partnership programme will serve as a guiding document for Suriname’s future industrial development.