Above: a gold mine in Guyana (Photo: GINA)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Guyana has launched the first-ever Women Miners’ Association, the government announced this week.

Human Services Minister Jennifer Webster said the move would aid a number of women in empowering themselves.

“The third MDG [Millennium Development Goal], which deals with the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women, highlights that all countries should support gender equality initiatives and Guyana is proud of its record,” she said.

According to Webster, mining and quarrying have contributed between 10 and 22 percent of the country’s GDP in the last three decades.