Guyana’s main gold and diamond miners’ association has stepped up a campaign to push small-scale miners into the formal economy, calling on all miners to comply with laws and ensure that production declarations and sales are made through official channels.
The Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) said it has begun 2026 by donating essential mining equipment to two small operators as part of a programme aimed at helping miners who have fallen on hard times to restart and expand their operations.
Managing Director Avalon Jagnandan said the association is pressing for higher gold output and better reporting, as authorities seek to capture more of the sector’s earnings and reduce leakage into informal markets.
“Compliance with mining regulations must become the norm,” Jagnandan said, urging miners to sell gold only to the Guyana Gold Board or licensed buyers.
Vice-President Dabria Marcus said the initiative also supports President Irfaan Ali’s drive to expand Guyana’s mining sector, while tightening oversight.
“We are calling on miners to operate in the best interest of the country by declaring all their production and becoming fully compliant,” Marcus said, adding that the GGDMA was encouraging miners nationwide to join the association.
The latest donation went to the Jackman family, a small-scale mining household that the GGDMA said had encountered financial difficulties. The association’s management committee approved the assistance to help the family return to active production.
Under the programme, miners who receive equipment must provide proof of their gold
declarations at the end of the year, tying the support directly to formal reporting. The GGDMA said it will also monitor production and declarations through regular reporting.
Recipients are required to sell their gold only through the Guyana Gold Board or licensed dealers and to keep detailed records of their transactions, the association added.
The GGDMA said it views the combination of equipment support and stricter compliance as central to building a more transparent and sustainable mining sector in the South American country, where gold remains a key export and source of foreign exchange.
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