Over $616M set aside in Budget for booming gold mining industry

Dec 12, 2016 News

Government has set aside some $500M to further boost the already high-performing gold mining industry next year.
During his budget presentation, Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman said that $500M will be spent on the maintenance/ rehabilitation, of interior roads. Trotman said that this will help to enable miners and other stakeholders to move equipment and supplies with more ease. It will benefit their operations and the industry as a whole, through reduced operational costs and bringing former marginal areas into production.
Further, Trotman told the House that another $76.M is estimated to be spent to support the training programmes of the Mining school.  He said that these programmes would benefit the Mining industry as a whole, as training and certification are intended for both GGMC’s staff and employees within the industry, including General managers of small and medium scales operations. Training would be in the areas of best practices in mining including, safety and environmental best practices.
Yet another $26.9M is estimated to be spent for technical support to miners.  This, Trotman said, would include on-site advice to General managers, miners and Amerindian Council Representatives on improved mining practices with respect to better recovery methods and tailings management.  The Minister told the National Assembly that there would also be on site demonstrations of sluice box models to assist miners with better recovery techniques as well as constructing and operating tailings ponds.  This figure is in addition to the mainstreaming of these initiatives via other operational opportunities of the GGMC field programmes.
Trotman also spoke of a $14.5(M) allocation which is to be spent in mining districts 1-6 on the “A Clean Environment” campaign to improve sanitary conditions of main landings, Mining towns and established settlements.