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President Dr Irfaan Ali made the announcement during a press conference at State House (Photo: Office of the President/ September 9, 2023)

And overall, the report noted that the gold mining sector declined by 11.4 per cent in the first half of the year.

Cognisant of these figures, the President assured persons that the government will engage miners and other stakeholders and address any issues in the sector.

Already, the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) in a release issued in August said the sector has been hit by several issues including the migration of gold miners into the booming construction and oil and gas sectors. The body also raised concerns about gold smuggling, an issue Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo previously said the government was probing.

Meanwhile, President Ali noted that there are some signs of better fortunes in the gold sector.

“We have seen a marked improvement in the last 30 days, but that is an ongoing conversation that will be supported by various consultations, and investigations that we are doing in the entire sector so that we can have a firm understanding and take the necessary policy, make the necessary policy intervention that would see the continued growth and expansion of this industry,” Dr. Ali said.

The Finance Ministry’s report noted that improvements were indeed observed in the third quarter of the year and it is believed that those improvements coupled with “strengthened efforts by the regulatory authorities” are expected to help the sector rebound.

And it is projected that the sector will expand by 5.3 per cent overall this year. The report acknowledges that gold prices are higher than usual currently.

The 98-run partnership was eventually broken when Carlos Braithwaite dismissed Ayub caught and bowled for 57.

Azam Khan fell shortly afterwards, but the Amazon Warriors continued to force the pace before Obed McCoy got Hope to chop on to his stumps for an even 50.

Late over fielding penalties saw the Royals get punished, but Brathwaite continued to be a thorn in the Amazon Warriors side dismissing Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd and Odean Smith in the 19th over before Jason Holder followed suit in the last over to remove Dwaine Pretorius and Keemo Paul.

The Amazon Warriors still posted an imposing total of 181-9 that left the Royals an almighty task ahead.

While 182 to win was always likely to be a tall order the Royals did not help their assignment by losing both their openers inside the Powerplay. However, the Royals reached the six over mark at 54-2 and ensured they had a base from which to mount a charge.

A 60-run partnership between Laurie Evans and Alick Athanaze was eventually bought to a close when Odean Smith got Evans to commit to a shot too early and Athanaze himself was to follow 12 balls later.

Just when it seemed the Royals were going to fall to defeat captain Rovman Powell blasted 39 from 19 balls to leave the Royals the equation of 31 runs needed from 19 balls.

Once Braithwaite and Justin Greaves had got the equation down to six of the final over it looked a forgone conclusion, but the Warriors and Motie closed out a famous win. (CPLT20)