2020 Mining Week ends with awards ceremony
—“Mining plays a significant part in the economy of our country.” – Minister Bharrat
Bringing down the curtain on this year’s mining week, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the Ministry of Natural Resources hosted an Award Ceremony to commemorate miners for their contributions to the sector in the last year.
Held at the Pegasus Hotel, the event saw GGMC’s Commissioner, Mr. Newell Dennison, Minister of Natural Resources, Hon. Vickram Bharrat, Department Heads and Representatives of Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA), Guyana Women Miners Organisation (GWMO) and the National Mining Syndicate (NMS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Guyana Gold Board (GGB) and Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) in attendance.
This year Mining Week ran from August 22 – 29, and under the theme ‘Reflecting on the past, innovating for the future, a journey through the archives of mining week.’
Commissioner Dennison noted that the GGMC hosted a virtual mining week presentation on its web platform, where a collage showcased previous mining week activities, as well conference material and technical information, on moving forward within the sector.
He also conveyed the importance of providing support for the social and domestic affairs of the mining communities that are occasionally overlooked.
“We want to continue to find ways in which we can assist particularly to youths who are a part of the mining family, and also to those in the mining community who are vulnerable; in order to be more inclusive,” Commissioner Dennison reiterated.
Minister Bharrat relayed that while Guyana is currently an oil-producing nation, mining and other traditional sectors have kept Guyana going over the number years.
“Mining plays a significant part in the economy of our country. The Government of Guyana will continue to support the mining sector and we are committed to ensuring that we work with all the sectors to move our country forward so that every Guyanese can benefit from these sectors,” Minister Bharrat posited.
The awards were categorized by Top Gold Producers, Top Diamond Producer and Environmental Stewardship.
The Top Gold Producers category saw Kevin Jeffrey of GGDMA and newcomer S.A.B. Mining walking away with awards for small and medium scale gold mining operations, while Chunnilall Babulall was awarded the Top Diamond Producer for the second consecutive year.
Environmental Stewardship Awards were rewarded to Guyana Industrial Minerals Inc. (GINMIN – Bauxite), Baracarra (Quarry), Ramlakhan Seenauth (Sand) and Capoey Reservation (Loam).