Govt. to build US$6M Puruni Bridge to complement gold operations in Region 7

Jun 03, 2026 News

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…over 2,500 active mining properties

(Kaieteur News) – With 2,524 active mining properties in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), the government of Guyana will soon be moving towards the construction of a US$6 million bridge across the Puruni River.

The announcement was made by President Irfaan Ali during a recent government outreach in Bartica.

While the head-of-state did not disclose details on the project during his address, he noted that construction will begin in August and is expected to take eight months to complete.

In October 2021, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) had issued a Request for Expression of Interest (RFI) for the construction of bridge for the Puruni River crossing.

Puruni River is a tributary of the Mazaruni River. The river flows through an area of rich mineral resources and dense forested vegetation. Mining and forestry activities are concentrated along the Puruni River and the Kartabu-Puruni Road, and as such, the river and road serve as a means of access to the resources within the area.

The Kartabu-Puruni Road, which travels from the Teperu Crossing at Itaballi at the mouth of Mazaruni River, is intersected by the Puruni River. Notably, the Kartabu-Puruni Road is a part of the road network that connects to the Linden-Lethem access Road.

Currently, a pontoon system is used at the intersection to facilitate the crossing of the Puruni River.

The MNR in the RFI noted that at the point of the pontoon crossing, the area on either side of the river is marked by relatively higher lands, implying that the area is prone to flooding when the river inundates and during periods of heavy rainfall. This led to the ministry issuing the RFI inviting individuals and/or bodies corporate.

In the 2021 RFI, the ministry stated that it will consider options under various models including Design-Build (D-B) and Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) or any other suitable model.

During his address, President Ali noted that there are 11 outposts and checkpoints in the region to support the mining activity.

“I’m also very happy to report that the G Mining Oko West Gold Project, would have started, is moving forward with the initial phase of infrastructure development. The Oko wharf at Kartabo will be operational from June 2026, loading and offloading activities is expected to commence by August. The camp facilities, offices, the welcome center and sports field is to be completed by September 2026. Mining, drilling, sampling and exploration activities continue across the concession area,” Ali said as he highlighted the progress the Canadian firm has made on the gold project which is estimated to hold 4.64 million ounces of proven and probable reserves.

He further noted that GMIN’s workforce stands at 1,193 employees of which 946 are locals. “This is projected to increase to 2,100 by December 2026. 2100 and most of those jobs will be taken up by Guyanese, mostly from your region,” Ali added.

The project President Ali highlighted during the outreach is one of several large-scale gold projects operated by Canadian companies that are located in the Cuyuni-Mazaruni district.

Kaieteur News reported that the Oko West Gold Project was added to GMIN’s portfolio back in 2024 following a business combination with fellow Canadian firm, Reunion Gold Corp. valued at US$638 million (C$875 million).  Oko West is expected to produce about 350,000 ounces of gold annually over a 12.3-year mine life.

In a similar move like its business combination with Reunion, in April 2026, it was announced that GMIN entered into a definitive agreement with another Canadian company, G2 Goldfields for approximately US$2.2 billion (C$3 billion) to consolidate the two adjacent gold projects in Guyana: G2’s Oko-Ghanie Project and GMIN’s fully permitted and fully financed Oko West Project.

Acquiring G2 will bring the Combined Measured & Indicated Mineral Resources of 7.0 million ounces and Inferred Mineral Resources of 2.3 million ounces. The deal will also expand GMIN’s footprint in Guyana by 293 square kilometers (km²), creating a combined contiguous land package of over 362 km².

G2’s Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) released last year, outlines a combined open pit and underground operation with a 14-year mine life and estimate total production of 3.2 million ounces gold. Annual production is projected to average 298,000 ounces during years three through 10. The deal is expected to close in June 2026, subject to shareholder and court approvals.

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• Cuyuni-Mazaruni district, Guyana Gold, Irfaan Ali, Puruni River

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