Former Ambassador, Economist and Professor Dr. Shamir Andrew Ally is calling on the Government to adopt a broader measure of national progress, arguing that Guyana’s record-breaking oil-fuelled Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth masks a more important question: whether ordinary citizens are actually experiencing meaningful improvements in their quality of life.

In an open letter and his column dated June 27, 2026, to Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, Ally proposed that Government publish a quarterly “Beyond GDP” Well-Being Dashboard alongside its GDP figures to measure not only economic output but also improvements in people’s quality of life.

The dashboard, he said, should include the Human Development Index (HDI), a localized Cost-of-Living Index and an Environmental Sustainability Indicator, providing policymakers and the public with a more complete picture of Guyana’s development.