Oko West Gold project: Over 900 Guyanese part of G Mining Ventures’ 1100 workforce

Guyanese have taken up majority of the job opportunities the Oko West Gold Project in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), which is being operated by a Canadian-based gold mining company, G Mining Ventures (GMIN).
The Oko West Gold Project is currently in its construction phase, with the company aiming to complete these works by the third quarter of 2027 before transitioning into full-scale operations.
However already, there are over 900 Guyanese on the thousand-plus workforce and according to President Dr Irfaan Ali during an outreach at Bartica on Monday, this figure is likely to increase by the end of this year.
“Currently, the workforce stands at 1,193 employees of which 946 are Guyanese. This is projected to increase to 2,100 by December 2026… and most of those jobs will be taken up by Guyanese, mostly from your region,” the Head of State told residents.
In fact, during his address to the residents, President Ali expressed his dissatisfaction with the pace at which the residents are taking up jobs and other opportunities available within the region. “We want to work with you now, drive you harder and faster in taking up the opportunities,” he asserted.
Based on reports, GMIN plans to hire up to 2500 workers for its 100 percent-owned Oko West Gold Project in the Cuyuni-Mazaruni region.
In fact, the company held a job fair back in April at the New Amsterdam Technical Institute (NATI) in Berbice, where it began engaging prospective employees as part of a nationwide recruitment drive ahead of the project’s 2027 start-up.
As the project advances, the company is seeking to fill a wide range of positions spanning construction, mining, and hospitality. At the time vacancies existed for general labourers, electricians, carpenters, masons, heavy-duty equipment operators, and truck drivers, as well as cooks, kitchen helpers, housekeepers, and camp attendants, among other roles, reflecting the scale and diversity of the operation.
Talent acquisition lead at the company, Kobe Cort, had explained to this newspaper that while the event was hosted in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), the initiative is targeting skilled and semi-skilled workers from across the country.
Cort had encouraged interested persons across Guyana to take advantage of the opportunities, describing G Mining Ventures as an equal-opportunity employer committed to fair and transparent hiring practices.
According to him, the company places strong emphasis on employee development and growth, positioning itself as a preferred choice for individuals seeking to build long-term careers in the country’s expanding mining sector.

Infrastructure advancements
Nevertheless, President Ali on Monday further highlighted the advancements of other aspects of GMIN operations that are advancing in Region Seven.
As part of the initial phase of infrastructure development, the Oko wharf located in the Kartabo/Batavia area Region Seven is slated to become operational sometime this month with loading and offloading activities expected to commence by August. In addition, the camp facility, offices, welcome centre and sports field are to be completed by September 2026.
In the meantime, mining drilling, sampling and exploration activities continue across the concession area.
The Canadian gold mining company is targeting a production of 350,000 ounces of gold annually when the project comes on stream next year.
Back in December 2025, GMIN officially secured a 20-year mining licence from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) for the Oko West project, which is estimated to contain a staggering 5.4 million ounces of gold.
Only in April, G Mining Ventures successfully completed a $3 billion acquisition of the G2 Goldfields– a move that has catapulted the Canadian company with one of the highest current gold profiles.
Based on international reports, the deal will see both the Canadian companies combine their two adjacent projects in Guyana, G2’s Oko-Ghanie Project and GMIN’s Oko West Project, into a large-scale, low-cost mining hub. The combined Tier-1 Oko project is expected to yield over 500,000 ounces of gold per year.
In Region Seven, there are currently some 2,524 active mining properties. In 2025, small and medium sized miners declared approximately 94,000 ounces of gold. This is in addition to the 165,000 ounces declaration made by Guyana’s lone large-scale gold operator, Zijin Mining, which acquired the Aurora Gold Mine (AGM) Inc. in Region Seven.