Kyrgyzstan’s economy depends heavily on gold mining, mainly from output at the Kumtor mine run by the Canadian company Centerra. Yet, the mine is contentious due to social and environmental concerns. As a small, developing country, Kyrgyzstan is challenged to balance standards, oversight and securing revenues, while attracting needed foreign investment to the sector. The paper analyses rising protests and resource nationalism in the country and focuses on the negotiation process of the Government of Kyrgyzstan with Centerra, developments in mining and other sectors and gives recommendations how to improve stakeholder dialogue and effective use of mining revenues.