Latest update June 1st, 2026 12:37 AM
Strong backing from Guyana driving large gold production – Omai CEO
…company advancing plan to upgrade 4.4 million oz from inferred to indicated
(Kaieteur News) – President and Chief Executive Officer of Omai Gold Mines, Elaine Ellingham said Guyana is increasingly recognised as one of the most mining-friendly jurisdictions in the world, with strong institutional support helping companies advance large-scale projects into production.
Chief Executive Officer and President of Omai Gold Mines, Elaine Ellingham
Omai is one of five Canadian gold exploration companies operating in Guyana. The company is the 100% owner of the Omai Gold Project in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) through its subsidiary Avalon Gold Exploration Inc. and hosts two adjacent orogenic gold deposits: Wenot shear-hosted open pit deposit and the adjacent Gilt Creek intrusion-hosted underground deposit. An updated Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) of 4.4 million oz (Inferred) plus 2.1 million oz (Indicated) was announced August 25, 2025.
Speaking with John Tumazos Very Independent Research, LLC, ON Monday, Ellingham noted the scale of the Omai Gold Project, pointing out that Guyana continues to gain international recognition as a favourable destination for mining investment, citing supportive policies and a straightforward regulatory environment. “I have been working there for five years, I would agree with that. There is strong backing to help companies bring these big projects into production,” she said.
Omai is among a growing number of Canadian-backed gold projects advancing across Guyana’s mining districts, collectively controlling millions of ounces across various stages of development.
Aris Mining’s Toroparu Gold Project, located in Region Seven, holds approximately 5.4 million ounces of gold in the measured and indicated category, along with additional inferred resources. G Mining Ventures’ (GMIN) Oko West Gold Project, also in Region Seven, contains an estimated 4.64 million ounces of proven and probable reserves and is projected to produce about 350,000 ounces of gold annually over a 12.3-year mine life.
File photo of Omai Gold Mines
Mako Mining’s Eagle Mountain Project in the Mahdia district holds approximately 1.2 million ounces of gold in the indicated category, while G2 Goldfields’ Oko-Ghanie deposits contain about 1.5 million ounces of indicated resources. Together with Omai’s 2.1 million ounces of indicated resources, these projects account for more than 14 million ounces of gold in the indicated category across Guyana.
Moreover, Ellingham noted that when combined with its historical output, the Omai Gold Project exceeds 10 million ounces of gold. “I think we’re settling into, you know, the acknowledgement that this is one of the gold giants of the Guyana Shield,” she noted.
She further shared that Omai is currently focused on upgrading approximately 4.4 million ounces of inferred resources to the indicated category. She underscored that this is important step required to advance to a pre-feasibility study (PFS). The company already holds an estimated 2.1 million ounces in the indicated category. Inferred resource is based on limited sampling and is based on reasonably assumed, but limited information, an indicated resource is a resource whose quantity, grade (quality), shape, size and continuity can be more confidently reported.
To support bringing its inferred resource to the indicated resource category, Omai has intensified its exploration programme, with a 50,000-metre drilling campaign underway with five drills. According to the CEO, in 2025, the company drilled 11 of the 12 months in 2025 and intends to do the same this year. “We have five drills going. We’re probably going to add a sixth because we need to just move forward. We can still expand,” she noted.
The drilling effort is aimed both at expanding the overall resource base and improving confidence in existing estimates.
Ellingham highlighted recent deep drilling results as a major indicator of the deposit’s long-term potential, at the Wenot shear-hosted deposit. “So, one of the things we did was, we actually did a deep drill hole under that shear-hosted Wenot deposit, and we actually did one two-kilometer-long hole, and we hit the Wenot shear with seven gold zones 700 meters below our deposit so proof of concept, that sucker goes deep,” she said.
The Omai project benefits significantly from its history as a past-producing mine, which operated between 1993 and 2005 and produced more than 3.7 million ounces of gold before closing due to low gold prices at the time.
During the interview, Ellingham noted that operating a past producing mine has its benefits. She said there is a vast database of geological information, including handwritten drill logs and assay records from previous operators such as Anaconda and Placer Dome. She noted that this has enabled Omai to advance exploration more efficiently and at lower cost.
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As we see the term used by our Sitting Government, friendly investment and relationship Business. All about our wealth being exploited our environment being stripped nothing and destroyed , nobody is talking about a recovery plan for our bioaversiy . How long it’s going to take for recovery of Our vegetation and our habitat for our Indigenous people and animals. What is the conservation plans for our interior ???? What will our future generations inheritance be??? If we don’t do something urgently what will happen to Guyana will be a total disaster definitely.
This sitting government is playing with our future and we as citizens gave to come out and raise our voices.Our opposition leader Azurrdin Mohamed has to do something about This, we are losing the battle for our future generations. And God help us all🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊