Mr. Ronaldo Alphonso has been elected as the new President of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Mining Association (GGDMA) at the 39th annual meeting which held on October 25th. He will be supported by the newly elected management team, which includes, Mr. Marcus Dabria was elected as Vice President, Mr. Azeem Baksh as Secretary, Mr. Patrick Harding returned at treasurer, Mr. Gerald Alphonso was elected as Organizing Secretary while Ms. Vishanti Balgobin, Mr. Terrence Adams, Mr. Terry Singh, and Mr. Shawn King were elected as members of the management committee.
Outgoing President of the GGDMA Mr. Andron Alphonso in his outgoing speech thanked the membership for their faith in him for the last two years and called on the association to continue to work to advocate for miners’ rights and to remain relevant in the face of the oil and gas sector. He called on members to work together to ensure that the sector which has helped build Guyana continue to have a long and bright future.
Incoming President Mr. Ronaldo Alphonso in his acceptance speech thanked the membership for their faith in electing him. “The gold and diamond industry holds great meaning for me, and I am deeply passionate about its success. With over two decades of experience in mining, I have witnessed firsthand the challenges faced by miners of all scales. This knowledge fuels my determination to advocate tirelessly for the advancement of our industry and to represent the interests of our dedicated miners.” Mr. Alphonso also called on the government to take serious action against the raiders in the gold sector and those responsible for smuggling and called on miners to increase their gold production and declarations. He also announced that he will be holding an “open day” for miners to come in and share problems that they are experiencing in the industry and committed to working to ensure the success of all miners in Guyana. The new president also told miners “gold mining is like the good wife, we must not be distracted by this new “girl” called oil and gas.” Gold mining has always been with Guyana and it is here to stay.
At the meeting Mr. Avalon Jagnandan, the administrative manager, highlighted several of the achievements made in the last year including the concessions gained from government and the benefits the association has been able to negotiate for miners. He also disclosed that there will be a new GGDMA identification card issued to miners and this will allow members to access special discounts and privileges at selected companies. He noted that the new executive will have to address the revised Investment Development with the Government, the continued transition to mercury free mining and the stopping of raiding.
