Chairman Clinton Williams
Veteran private sector executive Clinton Williams has been appointed chairman of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) as the commission ramps up its management structure to improve organisational efficiency.
According to a release from the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, Rickford Vieira has also been confirmed commissioner of the commission.
Challenges
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud said the new appointments will address the challenges facing the mining sector in enhancing its operation.
The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry also pointed out that there will be a continuous review of the operation of the organisation and other critical appointments will be made shortly.
Clinton Williams, a seasoned private sector executive, is chief executive officer/director of Guyana National Industrial Company Incorporated, having been with the company since the time of privatisation in 1995.
Williams is an industrial engineer and holds both first and second degrees in mechanical/industrial engineering. He is a member of a number of international professional associations in the shipping and engineering fraternity and has completed a number of publications, research projects and reports in this capacity, inclusive of a strategic plan for the Shipping Association of Guyana in response to the Caribbean International Development Agency (CIDA) Caribbean Regional HRD Programme for Economic Competitiveness.
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.
Vast experience
Williams has a post-graduate certification in project management and vast experience in comparative management systems, energy conservation, project evaluation and preparation, strategic port pricing and private sector partnerships for small and medium size enterprises.
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 the strategies for the transportation and manufacturing and engineering sectors.
Appointed commissioner Vieira holds a master’s of engineering, (mining engineering) 1997 from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada and a bachelor of engineering (mining engineering), 1994 from the University of Guyana.
He is also 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, mine plans and a training instructor for mining and environmental studies.
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.
Meanwhile, Minister Persaud remains optimistic that these appointments will continue to build on the record breaking declaration of 481,102 ounces for 2013, surpassing the previous highest level of 455, 918 ounces in 2001; which included the declarations of both Omai and small scale operators.
