Lotteries for mining areas will be held in April & May – GGMC

President Dr Irfaan Ali is scheduled to meet with small-scale miners from Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) on February 6.

This was announced by the Ministry of Natural Resources, which noted that the Head of State will also conduct visits to Puruni, Itaballi and Bartica – which are key mining locations in the region.

According to the Ministry, the visit will facilitate direct engagement with small-scale miners to discuss matters affecting their operations as well as challenges and opportunities within the sector.

The Small Miners Association of Guyana Inc (SMAGI) recently met with miners at the Bartica Town Council Boardroom, where stakeholders raised a number of concerns relating to the sector. “Several key matters were raised, including questions surrounding newly implemented Government policies, timelines for compliance, shop and traders’ licences, challenges with access to lands and various security issues and concerns within the mining sector,” the association said in a statement.

It noted too that miners also expressed their desire to obtain their own lands or to be granted permission to operate at a fair and reasonable cost.

During the engagement, discussions were also held on the various benefits and support provided to miners in Budget 2026. These include access to financing through the Development Bank of Guyana (DBG), as well as duty-free concessions on all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and double-cab pickup trucks.

Meanwhile, in a video released by the Ministry, Deputy Commissioner Administration of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), Jacques Foster revealed that lotteries for mining areas will be held in April and May of this year. “In this way, miners will have their own lands to work and access to property,” Foster noted, reminding that all gold must be sold to the Guyana Gold Board (GGB), licensed gold traders or gold dealers.

Foster further emphasised that the GGMC supports mining activities at all scales and levels and underscored the importance of operations being conducted in conformity with laws and regulations.

“While mining is a big earner of foreign currency and very important to the economy, we must ensure that mining activities are done in compliance with the mining regulations and laws. Miners must seek and receive the required permits, licences and permissions prior to conducting mining activities,” he said.

The Government has been tightening its regulation of the mining sector and intends to intensify these efforts in the years ahead. Authorities have already announced mandatory local bank account requirements and compulsory updates of personal records for all miners and stakeholders. This is combined with measures to curb unlawful practices that weaken declarations and intensify audits across declarants. Furthermore, the Government is investing in systems that help to modernise oversight and unlock new opportunities in the sector, such as the high-tech mineral mapping project launched late last year.

In support of strengthened industry regulation, during 2025 the GGB conducted mobile purchasing in Lethem, Marudi and Mahdia, which resulted in two permanent operations in place at the end of 2025.

Three new mobile purchasing locations are expected to be in place before the first half of 2026 in Puruni, Karuni and Olive Creek. The overall goal is to reduce leakages and improve declarations in 2026. In fact, the administration expects gold declarations to rise to 510,450 ounces (oz) this year.

Last year, total gold declarations amounted to 484,321oz, a significant improvement from 2024, which stood at 434,067oz, a modest 1,954-oz rise from the 432,113oz reported in 2023.