The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) has been mapping semi-precious stones and with declining prices globally for gold and other metals, Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman says the development of these “neglected” minerals can boost the livelihood of many people.
“In the context of globally declining mineral prices and metal prices, one positive side effect has been the shift in the spotlight towards a group of lesser known neglected development minerals,” Trotman was quoted as saying by the Government Information Agency (GINA). The minister was at the time addressing the opening of a four-day regional training workshop on ‘Environment, Community, Health and Safety’ at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre on Monday.
GINA said that the GGMC has exerted keen effort to promote the development of a lapidary through mapping and qualification of semi-precious stones and Trotman spoke of this development as he lauded the stakeholder agencies for holding the training which he described as timely and fully embraced by the Government of Guyana.
The purpose of the training is to explore ways to take advantage of “neglected minerals” whilst applying proper mining practices, GINA reported. It said that the regional workshop was funded through a partnership among the African, Caribbean and Pacific states (ACP)/European Union (EU) -Development Mineral Programme and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It has attracted participation from Guyana, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
GINA reported that Trotman pointed out that little or no attention has been placed on the source of a number of minerals such as limestone and coloured stones. He said with the declining prices of gold and other metals, the focus is beginning to shift towards “lesser known neglected development minerals.”
In Region Eight, Trotman said, there is an estimated 15 million tonnes of jasper while other areas in the region are rich in agate, black pearl, and amethyst among other semi-precious minerals.
The minister said that the development of neglected minerals can boost the livelihood of many people, providing direct and indirect jobs. “This will enable Caribbean countries to channel their mineral wealth into reducing poverty, creating employment and increasing investment in infrastructure for enhanced service delivery,” he was quoted as saying.
Trotman also said that for the neglected minerals sector to be effective, occupational safety and health need to be addressed. “The Government of Guyana is determined to improve the health and safety of every miner and will not condone haphazard mining practices that put people’s lives at risk,” the minister stated.
However, with all the mineral wealth possessed by Guyana, there are many challenges to their exploitation, he said. Trotman cited lack of entrepreneurial skills by operators, lack of working capital and relevant technology, GINA reported.
The lack of public availability of easily accessible geological data “exacerbates wasteful exploitation and discourages investment in the sector,” he added. Therefore, the regulations, policy and institutional capacity governing the sector need strengthening, he acknowledged.
“Limited awareness of environmental impact of small scale mining with consequences on health and safety of workers and surrounding communities often go unchecked,” Trotman said. Collectively, he said, those factors serve to hinder the sector’s growth.
Daniel Franks, Development Minerals Programme Manager of the UNDP noted that these neglected minerals need to be prioritised. According to Franks, greater attention needs to be paid to the sector as it is an economy booster once done right. “We would like to see a sector that is responsible in terms of its environmental and its social obligations, and we would like to see a sector that contributes to the economic development,” GINA quoted Franks as saying.
Meantime, Trotman is of the hope that the workshop would help to build capacity in occupational safety and health and flush out bad mining practices, GINA said.
