– acting Commissioner confirmed

THE Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert M. Persaud, has announced that Mr. Clinton Williams has been appointed new Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).Mr. Rickford Vieira has also been confirmed as Commissioner of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission.
Minister Persaud has said that the foregoing actions have been taken in accordance with legislation governing the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, and the appointments are expected to improve the efficiency and organisational functioning of the GGMC, as they will addres

s the challenges facing the mining sector by enhancing its operation.
Minister Persaud said the operation of the organisation would continuously be reviewed, and other critical appointments would shortly be made.
Mr. Clinton Williams is the Chief Executive Officer/Director of the Guyana National Industrial Company Incorporated (GNIC), having been with the company since its privatisation in 1995. He previously served the Guyana National Engineering Corporation (GNEC), as the entity was then known, in various senior executive roles, such as Executive Director, Planning and Marketing; Divisional Manager, Planning and Development; Industrial Engineer, etc.
Mr. Williams is an Industrial Engineer, and holds both first and second degrees in mechanical/industrial engineering. He is a member of a number of the international professional associations in the shipping and engineering fraternity, and has completed a number of publications, research projects and reports in these capacities, inclusive of a strategic plan for the Shipping Association of Guyana in response to the CIDA Caribbean Regional HRD Programme for Economic Competitiveness (CPEC) programme.
He has also completed a number of consultancy assignments for a wide range of industries in Guyana and the wider Caribbean, including the shipping, engineering and manufacturing sectors. He holds post-graduate certification in project management, and has vast experience in comparative management systems, energy conservation, project evaluation and preparation, strategic port pricing, private sector partnerships for SME Development, etc., regional consultancy evaluation assignments for Ernst and Young Caribbean Entrepreneur of the Year Award Scheme, Caricom Fast Ferry Project, etc.
He previously served as president, and is now the Trustee of the Shipping Association of Guyana; Chairman of the Guyana/China Business Council; President of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association Limited; Sub-Sector Chairman of the Energy Power and Skills Development of the Private Sector Commission; Chairman of The Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training; Chairman of the Board of Industrial Training; and Chairman of the Board of the Guyana Forestry Commission.
A Professional engineer, Clinton Williams was a member of the team of experts which formulated the National Development Strategy for Guyana, particularly in relation to strategies for the Transportation, Manufacturing and Engineering sectors.
Mr. Rickford Vieira holds a Masters in Engineering (Mining Engineering) from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada (1997), and a Bachelor of Engineering (Mining Engineering) from the University of Guyana (1994 Pass with Credit).
He is an engineer with extensive experience in project management, production management, field exploration, site rehabilitation, environmental impact assessment, environmental management planning, environmental monitoring, closure and decommissioning plans, feasibility studies, mineral inventory estimation, mineral processing plant design, rehabilitation and re-vegetation of mined out lands and mine plans, and is training instructor for mining and environmental studies.
He worked at WWF Guianas from 2004 to 2011 as the Regional Coordinator, Gold Mining Pollution Abatement Coordinator with responsibilities for conservation activities for the small-scale gold mining sector in Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.
In addition, he functioned in various capacities at GGMC from 1984 to 2002, after which he resigned as Senior Mineral Processing Engineer 11 and worked with Environmental Management Consultants from 2005 to 2011 as a Mining Environmental Specialist.
Mr. Vieira was also an independent environmental consultant for several mining projects in Guyana and Suriname, and lectured part-time at the University of Guyana in the Department of Mining.
He has several publications in scientific journals, including the Journal of Cleaner Production; the International Journal of Environmental Health Research; and the Health, Safety and Environmental Quarterly. He participated in several mining conventions on mercury for the UNEP and EEB in Sweden, Switzerland, Kenya, Belgium, Thailand, the Philippines, USA and in Brazil.
Prior to his confirmation as Commissioner, Vieira served as Deputy Commissioner from January to October 2012, and was later appointed acting Commissioner in November 2012, until his confirmation to the post of Commissioner.
Minister Persaud remains optimistic that these appointments would continue to build on the record-breaking declaration of 481,102 ounces of gold for 2013, surpassing the previous highest level of 455,918 ounces in 2001; which then had included the declarations of both Omai and small-scale operators.