Draft mining policy to be produced soon
─ Mahdia miners consulted
DPI, Guyana, Sunday, August 26, 2018
The team commissioned to develop a strategic ten-year national mining policy framework is expected to produce a draft document shortly.
Head of the three-person team, which was commissioned earlier this year, Sherwood Lowe noted the draft policy will have a mechanism for stakeholder review.
On Saturday, August 25, Lowe consulted miners in the Region Eight community of Mahdia at a mini-mining symposium. The symposium was hosted by the Guyana Mining School and Training Centre as part of activities in commemoration of Mine Safety Awareness Day in the community.
Lowe, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Guyana, explained the team has been consulting stakeholders, researching and reviewing reports towards the first draft.
Nigel Trotman, the Public Relations Officer for the Mahdia Mining Syndicate, said he welcomed the consultation adding that he looks forward to seeing meaningful benefits out of the policy which would transform the way mining is done in Guyana.
One resident, Gillian Balkaran, expressed she would like to see a portion of the revenues and taxes from mining be reinvested in the development of the town of Mahdia.
Lowe’s team will be producing a National Minerals Sector Policy Framework (NMSPF) and a National Minerals Sector Action Plan, with the Action Plan identifying the work activities for the implementation of the Policy Framework for the period 2019-2029. These documents will have to be framed within the Green State Development Strategy (GSDS).
During the symposium, miners were also educated on the GSDS and its impact on their work. The Department of Environment will host a consultation in the community on September 5 as part of its national consultations on raising awareness of the Strategy.
Miners were also briefed on the upcoming launch of the Eldorado Gold Project by Conservation International Guyana. The $1.2Billion (US$5.8Million) project will work with artisanal and small-scale miners in Regions Eight and Nine to explore mercury-free mining by 2025 along the supply chain from prospectors to producers.
By: Tiffny Rhodius
Images: Karime Peters