Mining investments create jobs, support non-oil growth

Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat on Tuesday defended the government’s management of the natural resources sector during Budget 2026 debates, highlighting efforts to expand the non-oil economy, modernise mining operations, and create jobs across the hinterland.
Bharrat pointed to investments in gold, bauxite, and forestry, citing infrastructure upgrades, employment creation, and plans to increase declared gold production as evidence of progress.
“Because of the prudent management of the sector that today people see that the real opportunities in the gold sector and a number of people are going back into the sector or they are gravitating towards the gold sector because there is greater opportunity for Guyanese miners especially,” he said.
The remarks followed criticism from APNU MP Sharma Solomon, who argued that extractive communities, particularly in Regions One, Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten, have seen resource extraction without meaningful reinvestment.
“These communities where the extraction of timber takes place, these hinterland regions daily– the roads serve as extraction, not for residents. Value added processing is minimal and communities remain poor. Forests are depleted and people are not developed,” Solomon said.
He warned that without genuine community engagement and accountability, extractive wealth will continue to bypass the people it is meant to uplift, insisting that benefits remain concentrated despite government initiatives.