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GGMC increasingly adopting e-services in face of COVID-19 – Report

Jul 12, 2021 News

Kaieteur News- The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) reported that it has been re-evaluating its operations, especially as it relates to communication with the public.
“As the government continues its commendable efforts towards achieving herd immunity in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the time has never been greater…” the Commission said.
It stated that there was a review of Standard Operating Procedures to improve standardisation and equivalence of response across the mining sector. The Commission also reported adopting reporting systems using Information Technology (IT) solutions to improve supervision, foster accountability and strategically deploy resources.
“Notwithstanding some levels of staff rotation, the Mines Services Division was able to maintain its presence in the various mining districts with heightened education and awareness campaigns on safety and mining practices,” the GGMC said.
On the matter of occupational safety and health, the agency has made more use of social media to propagate its education and awareness programmes on mining safety. This was done in concert with the Mining School. The GGMC said that the safety of its workers as they operate in the field is a top priority.
The regulator has been working to meet increasing demands for mining properties, with its Land Management Division’s Mineral Property Management System (MPMS), an e-Services application platform for medium-scale and large-scale tenure. But it encountered some difficulties with the system, after encountering programming issues.
“The MPMS seeks to remove the interaction with GGMC personnel in this process and places it in the domain of the customer, providing efficiency, transparency, and avoidance of conflicts. However, the nature of the approach has been modified to improve efficiency. Furthermore, the Land Management Division continued to work on the preparation of the files for the MPMS as well as the current processes for applicants.”
GGMC said special arrangements have been made to address a backlog in applicants, as a result of the pandemic. These included systems to address basic inquiries by applicants, such as rental and penalty payments and the satisfactory resolution of tenure conflicts.
Additionally, the GGMC’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division has been working to increase its reach. The Commission said the department’s visibility has been the most pronounced in 2020/2021, compared to previous years.
“All the Divisions of the Commission reached out to ICT during this period in order to have viable solutions to aid their work process. Typically, these interventions were as simple as creating linkable databases so that access to data and updating of information was better managed for reporting and analysis, for example within Mines Division.”
Established services in observance of COVID-19 measures include an online public help desk; the posting of a searchable list of published claims; introduction of self-service kiosks in Mines Division and at Land Management Division; the availability of all applicable forms online and 3rd party payment options such as MMG (Mobile Money Guyana).
The Commission also reported that its Special Projects Unit (SPU) is employing some ICT solutions to manage the performance of contractors and to assist in their own reporting.
“The ICT Division continues to work across the spectrum to enhance the Commission’s work.”
Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, has hailed the mining sector as a staple of the Guyanese economy, while noting that the government intends to keep the sector alive throughout the pandemic, even as oil money sits in the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) untouched.
The Government is working to facilitate increased investments, and production in the mining sector.

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