(De Ware Tijd) — In his New Year’s Address, President Desi Bouterse said that in the course of this year, the government will close a gold deal with Surgold, the joint venture between Suralco/Alcoa and Newmont. This month a Heads of Agreements for the Merian-area near Langatabiki will be signed. In it, the course towards the signing of a definite gold deal will be laid down. Besides the deal with Canadian Cambior that was later taken over by IamGold, this will be the 2nd big gold deal Suriname closes with a multinational for the founding of an industrial gold mine.
And according to Ferdinand Welzijn, chairman of the Surinamese Business Association (VSB), the government will need to pay special attention to the mining industry this year. He says there are indications that investments in the Nassau-area will stagnate due to the many illegal gold miners in that area. The fact that the land rights-problem is not up for discussion would also hold back investments. Welzijn stresses that it regards investments of hundreds of millions of US-dollars that are to safeguard the gold and bauxite industries in the coming years. Investments usually also positively affect the infrastructure in East Suriname and also have a considerable spin-off effect on businesses functioning as service providers to mining companies.
