Georgetown, Guyana – (February 2, 2016) Minister of Natural Resources, Mr. Raphael Trotman, on Monday, inducted the members of the Closed Areas Committee, charging them to ensure that lands awarded to small and medium-scale miners by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission are higher yielding lands.

Minister Trotman told the Committee to treat as priority, the commitment the Government made at the Small Miners Conference, held on January 15, 2016 at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre (ACCC), to have lands identified for allocation to small miners, and to address the backlog of pending applications.

Additionally, he made it clear that all processes must be just, equitable, and transparent.

The Committee will be chaired by Attorney-at-Law, Ms. Dela Britton, who also serves on the Public Utilities Commission, and will include Ms. Abiola Henry, Ms. Euliene Watson, Technical Officer- Mining, Ministry of Natural Resources; Mr. Clayton Hall, Ministerial Advisor, Ministry of Natural Resources, Mr. Aseef Balmacoon and representative from the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission.

The Minister of Natural Resources appoints the Committee and sets its mandate to effectively treat the complex and specialized matters concerning Closed Area/State Reserve management and allocation. By Regulations, the Committee is mandated to carry out specified functions assigned by the Minister and to advise and guide the Minister accordingly.

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