President Ali tells miners: ‘We want you to get wealthy, just do what is right by the law’

President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has assured miners that his government wants “every single one” of them to succeed and get wealthy in the long term, insisting that the only requirement is that they “do what is right in accordance with the law,” even as he moves to introduce a single, standardised contract to end land-use disputes in the mining sector.

President Ali made the announcement during an engagement with the mining community of Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), on Friday, shortly after a similar meeting with miners at the Puruni Landing.

The president told the community that the current system of informal and inconsistent arrangements has fuelled disputes and uncertainty within the industry.

“I want to encourage the executive of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association to sit with the small miners,” the president urged, stressing, “This complaint and this tug-of-war must come to an end.”

Under this proposed mechanism, all mining arrangements involving the use of another party’s land would be governed by a single contract, with agreed terms and conditions applicable across the sector. Whether compensation is structured as a fixed monthly fee or a percentage of production, the head of state said the rules must be clearly defined and consistently applied.

To ensure it is done fairly, President Ali called on stakeholders to spend two weeks negotiating and finalising the agreement, stressing that the process is not political but directly tied to miners’ livelihoods and long-term security.

“Let us agree on what it will be. Let us agree the conditions on working these lands. Let us agree on everything. One contract. One agreement that governs the entire industry for small, medium, and large miners,” he said.

President Ali cautioned that miners who choose to operate outside the agreed framework through side deals would have no grounds for complaints, noting that the system cannot protect those who attempt to bypass it.

As he did in Puruni, President Ali underscored that mining in Guyana is a partnership involving large, medium and small-scale operators, as well as the State.

He rejected the notion that the government intends to shut down mining activity, stating, “I want every single one of you to be successful. I want you to get wealthy. I want you to get prosperous. I want you to be better. I want you to build homes. But I also want you to do what is right in accordance with the law. That’s all we’re asking.”

President Ali also reminded the operators of their responsibility to mine legitimately, declare gold locally, and comply with environmental and regulatory requirements, warning that abuse of the system ultimately leads to closure and exclusion.

Apart from disputes, the president addressed inefficiencies in land use, arguing that it makes little economic sense for hundreds of small miners to operate in scattered locations. To address this, he outlined a plan to bring small miners together into groups or consortia and allocate block lands to those groupings.

This approach, he explained, would allow the government to more efficiently support infrastructure development, including roads and access works, while enabling miners to benefit from economies of scale.

President Ali pointed to Region Seven as a clear example of the sector’s economic importance. He noted that small and medium-scale miners in the region accounted for 41 per cent of total gold declarations, producing more than 105,000 ounces last year. This translated into approximately $88 billion in economic activity, or over US$470 million.

He estimated that direct employment from small and medium-scale mining operations in the region exceeds 7,600 people, with total employment, including indirect jobs, approaching 15,000.

“These are real numbers,” the president said, emphasising that mining activity supports a wide range of other businesses, including transportation, retail, food services, mechanical and engineering services, banking and insurance.

President Ali urged mining associations to take the lead in engaging their members and working together to resolve internal conflicts, warning that a few bad actors can undermine the entire sector.

“We are in this together,” he said. “It is our collective responsibility to fix this.”

The proposed standardised contract, he added, represents a practical step toward stability, fairness and long-term sustainability in Guyana’s mining industry.

Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat and the founder and President of the Small Miners, David Daniels, accompanied the president on his visit to the mining hubs.