Complete assessment of gold mining sector on Jan. 5 – President Ali 

There will be a complete assessment of the gold mining sector on January 5, 2026, as part of the government’s efforts to crack down on illegal activities within the sector, President Dr Irfaan Ali said on Tuesday. 

The Guyanese Head of State delved into several topics during a year-end interview with journalists and students on Tuesday. The gold mining sector, he said, requires serious focus. 

“We are going to link the mercury they buy with their declarations; if they have land that they are working on (and) they have dredges registered, but there is no declaration, we’re going to repossess those lands because there is no sense they destroy the environment and it’s not being used,” the President said. 

He confirmed that the complete assessment of the sector will be done early in the new year and “strong decisions” will be made. 

Over the past few weeks, government bodies and local mining associations have reiterated some of the rules governing the sector. A strong focus has been placed on reminding miners that gold must be sold to the Guyana Gold Board or authorised licensed dealers. 

Last year, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo emphasised the need for the strengthening of the gold exportation system as well as the ramping up of charges and penalties to tackle gold smuggling. He noted that concerted efforts have enabled local authorities to pinpoint new tactics being used by gold smugglers.

Some of these efforts include the establishment of a task force and a rigorous assessment of gold declarations being made from time to time. The task force, which is comprised of the Attorney-General, the Minister of Finance, the Commissioner-General of the GRA, the Head of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), the Governor of the Central Bank and representatives of the Guyana Gold Board, have already found loopholes in the existing regulations and have begun work to tighten the loose ends.