The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) says its review of the award and transfer of mineral and petroleum licences during 2023 and 2024 found no material departures from the applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
In an October 6 statement published on its website, the commission said it examined legislation, regulations, documented procedures and supporting records. It did not identify the individual licences reviewed, the number of transactions examined or the persons who conducted the assessment.
For mineral licences, the review included six documented application and transfer processes for medium- and large-scale properties within its ISO 9001-certified quality management system. GGMC said that system was audited and recertified in 2023.
The commission reported finding “no material deviations” in the award and transfer of mineral licences at the small, medium and large scales.
Petroleum licensing falls outside those certified processes, GGMC noted, and was assessed separately against the relevant petroleum legislation, regulations and administrative requirements. It reported the same conclusion for those transactions.
The statement did not explain what prompted the exercise or provide a detailed review report.
Its publication follows earlier recommendations for closer examination of mining licences and stronger participation by extractive companies in Guyana’s transparency reporting.
Stabroek News reported on January 1 that the 2023 Guyana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (GYEITI) report found limited progress in implementing recommendations from previous years. Participation by mining companies remained inadequate, with only 38% of mining-sector receipts reported by government subjected to reconciliation.
The report also drew attention to mining entities holding multiple licences and permits which, taken together, represented substantial operations. It recommended that GGMC conduct and document a review to determine whether those activities were appropriately licensed and managed.
It further recommended changes to licensing regulations to require participation in EITI reporting when requested by the Multi-Stakeholder Group.
In his January 19 Accountability Watch column in Stabroek News, Anand Goolsarran outlined additional recommendations from the 2023 report, including consideration of limits on the number of small- and medium-scale licences held by a single miner or entity, so that these did not accumulate into the equivalent of a large-scale holding.
The recommendations also called for GGMC to examine prospecting permits and licences for compliance with legislation and their conditions, and determine whether further activity was permissible in areas without a valid licence or permit.
Those recommendations concerned the classification, management and continued validity of mining operations. GGMC’s October statement addresses the processes for awarding and transferring licences and does not say whether the broader recommendations have been implemented.
The commission has also not stated whether the findings will be accompanied by publication of the underlying assessment or a schedule of the transactions examined.
Source: Kiskadee Watch
