– questions over company remain unanswered
The website for Strategic Bauxite – the company announced earlier this month as the new owner of First Bauxite and which has pledged to invest US$100 million in Guyana’s bauxite industry – is no longer accessible, raising further questions about the company’s public profile and operations.
When Kiskadee Watch attempted to access the company’s website on Wednesday, the page was unavailable. The apparent disappearance comes just weeks after the acquisition was announced and after the site had displayed only a basic “Launching Soon” landing page with limited information about the company.
Efforts by Kiskadee Watch to obtain further information from the company have also gone unanswered. This publication had previously emailed First Bauxite Chief Sustainability Officer Elliott Lincoln, who undertook to forward relevant images, but no response was ever received to date.
Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat had told Kiskadee Watch that the new owner of First Bauxite plans to invest US$100 million in its Guyana operations to expand production, create jobs and establish a processing facility that would allow for greater value-added production rather than exporting raw materials. He further shared that the investment is expected to increase production capacity while creating additional employment opportunities for Guyanese.
First Bauxite announced the ownership change on July 15, saying Strategic Bauxite had acquired the company, although the financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Despite the scale of the proposed investment, little public information is available about Strategic Bauxite, including its ownership, financial standing, mining experience or previous projects.
At the time of the announcement, the company’s website consisted only of a contact form and no information on its executives, mining assets or corporate history. Public searches also failed to identify a documented record of previous mining operations or production under the Strategic Bauxite name.
Lincoln had previously said the new owner was expected to introduce itself publicly, but declined to provide further details, saying he preferred to allow Strategic Bauxite to do so. He added that there are no planned layoffs, the existing senior management team will remain in place, and the company will continue operating under the First Bauxite name.
The acquisition places Strategic Bauxite in control of First Bauxite’s Bonasika mining operations at a time of growing international interest in Guyana’s mineral resources.
Lincoln also said the Government approved the transaction before it was finalised. However, key questions remain unanswered, including the identities of the company’s ultimate beneficial owners, the value and financing of the acquisition, and the extent of its previous experience in the mining sector.
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