Complete assessment of gold mining sector to be presented January 5 – President Ali

Addressing the issue of gold smuggling, President Dr Irfaan Ali has announced that a comprehensive assessment of Guyana’s mining sector will be completed and presented on January 5, as the government moves to strengthen accountability, environmental protection and production compliance across the industry.

During an engagement with journalists and students on Tuesday, President Ali stated that the assessment will review every mining licence, claim, and operational decision, with firm action to follow where miners fail to declare production or hold lands without productive use.

“On the fifth of January, there will be a complete assessment on every single licence, every single field, and strong decisions will be taken,” President Ali said.

The head of state announced that gold declarations will now be linked to mercury purchases to reduce under-declaration, environmental harm, and illegal activities in the industry.

“We are going to link the mercury they buy with their declarations. If they have land that they are working on and there is no declaration, those lands will be repossessed,” the president stated.

He stressed that environmental destruction without production will not be tolerated.

“There is no sense destroying the environment if there is no production,” President Ali added.

Dr Ali observed that the mining sector, which faced a serious decline, has recovered thanks to significant financial incentives that have helped protect miners and workers during global crises and supported communities near rivers and in remote areas.

The government has improved enforcement efforts, helping authorities identify new smuggling methods.

As part of these efforts, a multi-agency task force was established to conduct rigorous and ongoing assessments of gold declarations.

The task force comprises the attorney-general, finance minister, the commissioner-general of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), the head of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), the Governor of the Bank of Guyana, and representatives of the Guyana Gold Board.

He said thousands of Guyanese benefit directly and indirectly from mining, making it critical to balance economic opportunity with strict oversight and environmental responsibility.

The president emphasised that Guyana’s development model is rooted in accountability and long-term sustainability, noting that stronger oversight in mining is necessary to ensure natural resources generate real production and national benefit.