President Irfaan Ali reassured Lindeners that they have a “very bright future” when he spoke yesterday at the Commissioning Ceremony of the US$120m Kiln #15 and Metallurgical Grade Bauxite (Maz) Project of the BOSAI Minerals Group (Guyana) (BMGG) Inc.
“Linden today is undergoing what Guyana is undergoing, rapid and massive transformation. Make no mistake, Region 10 and Linden will not be left behind or will not be staggering behind. Our investment in Linden is geared towards the full diversification of the economy and expansion of opportunities in every field of national development”, a release from the Office of the President said.
The President called the bauxite project by the Chinese company a “massive investment” while highlighting his Government’s commitment to ensuring its viability.
He also charged the management of BOSAI to work on accomplishing the targets set for this year.
The release said that bauxite production has increased from 608,000 tonnes in 2020 to 705,000 tonnes in 2022, while exports have averaged more than 600,000 tonnes. Last year, bauxite brought in some US$98.9m in export earnings, 23.6 % more than in 2021.
The kiln #15 and Maz Project is expected to operate at 1.5 times the capacity of its predecessor and create some 500 direct job opportunities for Guyanese.
The President stated that the Govern-ment has had a solid track record of supporting the ailing industry for more than a decade.
“By attracting foreign participation, we ensured that while bauxite may have been on wobbly legs it was never going to hit the canvas as knocked out. The PPP/C never allowed it to hit the canvas on a knockout”.
The President stressed the importance of improving efficiency and modernising the industry.
“Unless there is a stable industrial climate, the industry will be in turmoil, and this will hurt its future and those who depend on it for their livelihoods…We’re not a Government that would run away from problems and challenges. I’m here not only to celebrate the accomplishment but [also] to highlight the challenges and what is needed for us to be successful in light of those challenges”, the President added.
The Government of Guyana, he stated, is building a new economy that will have several new poles, such as knowledge-based industries, tourism and hospitality, aquaculture, environmental and educational services and medical tourism.
The release said that the Head of State took the opportunity to express his Government’s gratitude to the Govern-ment and people of China for the transformational investments being made in Guyana.
China’s Ambassador to Guyana, Guo Haiyan, in her remarks, acknowledged the significant growth of Guyana’s non-oil economy last year.
She highlighted the importance of occupational health and safety, environmental protection, and climate change, and noted that Chinese companies are encouraged to fully abide by Guyana’s laws and to operate in good faith.
A recent report into the death of a bulldozer operator at Bosai faulted the company and the Ministry of Labour. Recommendations to ensure safety at the Linden bauxite operations have also not been addressed.
“The primary cause… was BMGG’s failure to conduct a risk assessment of the reclamation dump construction methodology. The risk assessment would have identified the possibility of liquefaction simply based on the stratigraphy of the dump and the consequences associated with a highly impermeable layer underlying a loose granular soil with no ability to dissipate ground and surface water inflows into the granular layer. Another contributory factor is BMGG’s failure to address geotechnical engineering/ groundwater hydrology issues in its operations,” the report seen by the Stabroek News stated.
