For all the economic options that seem set to be afforded by the advent of oil and gas, Guyana is not about to give up on those sectors that have, over the years, helped to sustain the country’s economy, not least, the gold mining industry. Towards this end it continues to probe those opportunities for the enhancement of the sector afforded by strategic collaboration through both bilateral and multilateral opportunities.
Earlier this week the Ministry of Natural Resources announced that the Government of Guyana had concluded a Memorandum of Understanding with Chile aimed at enabling various forms of practical and technical cooperation in the gold mining sector.
The MOU, signed by Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman and Chile’s Minister of Mining Baldo Prokurica who heads the state-run National Service of Geology and Mining (SERNAGEOMIN) in Chile, is aimed at providing “a framework for the exchange of scientific and technical information, visits, participation in training, conferences and symposia.” The scope of the MOU goes further, facilitating “the exchange of professional geoscientists in areas of mutual interest…Specific areas of cooperation include, but are not limited to geochemical and geological mapping and data analysis, economic geology and metallogenesis”.
The conclusion of the MOU last week is a follow up to President David Granger’s October 2016 visit to Chile, seen here as part of the coalition administration’s efforts to strengthen what is regarded in some quarters as the country’s long-neglected ties with much of the rest of South America which is believed to have impacted negatively on opportunities for technical cooperation in areas of particular developmental interest to Guyana. “We look to Chile as a good example for productive and safe mining practices and how the proceeds of mining can be utilized for the benefit of the citizens…and we can look to no better example than Chile of how to do it properly,” Trotman is quoted as saying.
Globally recognized for its copper mining industry, Chile is also known to have, over the years, developed significant scientific and technological capabilities in the area of gold mining. Established in 1980, SERNAGEOMIN is an autonomous body of Chile linked to the country’s Ministry of Mining to raise the level of sectorial and broader national awareness in the field of mining geology and to regulate and supervise the compliance of mining safety regulations. SERNAGEOMIN also provides advice to the state and the legal system on the granting of exploration and exploitation of mining concessions, an issue that has arisen in the local gold mining sector.
Watchers of Guyana’s gold mining industry are also likely to see the signing of the MOU as a possible signal that Guyana will be looking further afield for support in its quest to realize stricter adherence to mining safety laws, which has long been an area of concern for the sector.
