ORGANIZERS of Mining Week 2013 want all stakeholders — and the Guyanese public in particular — to have mining on their collective radar this week.

The call for full participation was made during a briefing by officials of the Guyana Geology & Mines Commission (GGMC) and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNR&E) last week.
Mining Week 2013 begins today under the theme “Clean green and responsible: Securing the future for mining”. Organizers have disclosed that the week would be used to educate the public on developments and “positive things” that have taken place in the mining sector over the past year.
Permanent Secretary in the MNR&E, Mr Joslyn McKenzie, said that for some, gold mining is associated with “ruckus” and a “buccaneering lifestyle”, but these people generally do not give enough credence to the importance of mining in Guyana and the extent to which it impacts on the gross domestic product, to foreign exchange earnings, and to the everyday life of Guyanese.
He said: “Mining Week 2013 aims at raising awareness on the work of the miners in bringing the exciting story of mining to the public.”
The main highlight of the programme, which is open to the public, is the 10th Biennial Mining Conference, during which participants will share with each other technical information on developments in the sector, and the technology within the sector which others can learn.
The programme for the conference runs on Monday and Tuesday at the International Conference Centre (ICC) at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara, starting at 8:00 hrs and ending at 16:00 hrs.
A National Mining Exhibition will also run at this site on both days, but during the time period from 16:00 to 21:00 hrs.
On Wednesday, there will be three major activities running at the ICC, starting from 09:00 hrs, and they are all of an educational nature.
The first will be a workshop on social issues, such as child labour, trafficking in persons, gender issues, and industrial issues within the sector, such as remuneration and hours of work, among other things.
This workshop is being staged by the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security (MLHSS), with expected full participation from the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) and the Guyana Women Miners Organization (GMWO).
At the same venue, there will also be a seminar for miners on ‘The Costs of Production in Mining’, again with expected participation from the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) and the Guyana Women Miners Organization (GMWO).
On Wednesday, at the ICC, the recently opened Guyana Mining School and Training Center Inc will stage a one-day training programme aimed at equipping participants — mainly miners — with basic skills in use of the Global Positioning Navigation System (GPS), on compass navigation and on map reading skills, including reading of maps which indicate areas of gold and diamond occurrences.
These are, it was explained, essential tools for persons getting into the mining sector.
This is free training, and interested persons can register via telephone number 639-5923.
The programme for the remainder of the week comprises a Customer Appreciation Day at GGMC Headquarters on Thursday from 9:00hrs to 16:00 hrs; tours and outreaches to mining communities on Thursday and Friday, and the ever-popular Pork Knocker’s Day at the Regatta Pavilion at Golden Beach in Bartica on Saturday.
Organizers have stressed that participation of the public in these planned events for the annual celebrations would be greatly appreciated.