HGP Nightly News – Guyana’s gold jewellery industry could gain greater international attention as the country pushes to move beyond exporting raw gold.
That is the view of former Business Minister Dominic Gaskin, who now serves as a Technical Consultant at the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Speaking on the Starting Point Podcast, Gaskin said Guyana already has a strong association with gold. The next step, he believes, is turning that reputation into demand for locally produced jewellery.“
People like gold. Gold has a value,” Gaskin said.
He expects greater awareness of Guyana as a competitive source of gold and jewellery in the coming years.
Gaskin compared the potential interest to some of the attention generated by Guyana’s oil and gas industry. He acknowledged, however, that jewellery is unlikely to grow on the same scale.
Guyana has exported raw gold for decades. Before oil, it was one of the country’s major sources of foreign currency.
Gaskin believes that history can now be used to build a stronger local industry. He expects visitors to increasingly seek out Guyanese gold products rather than simply associating the country with raw gold exports.
The government’s El Dorado Reimagined initiative is part of that push. It was launched by President Dr. Irfaan Ali on May 22 during Guyana’s 60th Independence Anniversary celebrations.
The initiative places greater focus on turning Guyana’s gold into finished, locally produced products with greater value.
