PNG joins Toronto minerals expo

PAPUA New Guinea will showcase its mineral exploration and development potential to a host of international investors and explorers next week in Toronto, Canada.
This will happen at the four-day mining convention and trade show of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC).
The forthcoming exhibit is the world’s premier international event for promoting exploration and mineral investment potential.
The PNG delegation is being led by the Vice-Minister for Mining Ano Pala, who will also be attending the three-day annual world mining ministers’ conference.
He will be accompanied by senior officials from the Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) and the European Union-funded Mining Sector Support Programme (MSSP).
Other members of the delegation include Chamber of Mines and Petroleum executive director Greg Anderson and State-owned Petromin Holdings Ltd’s senior executives.
“The industry and the State through the former Department of Mining (DoM) have now participated in nine PDAC events (1997, 2001-2008), as we believe that PDAC offers the best overseas venue to promote and showcase our exploration potential to some of the largest companies involved in mine exploration and development, mine financing and investment,” Kepas Wali, managing director of MRA, said.
The PNG Government through the MRA and the Chamber of Mines and Petroleum will be presenting a joint exhibit under the banner “Papua New Guinea”.
John Kulala, MSSP national programme director, said he is also very optimistic about the possible outcome of this mining road show.
“The exciting changes to the mineral taxation regime, the much-improved gold prices as experienced by the global mining boom, and PNG’s established geological potential provided the basis for a high-impact promotion.
“This would further assist our exploration sector.
Local companies joining include Highlands Pacific, Lihir Gold, Frontier Resources, Papuan Precious Metals, New Guinea Gold, Marengo Mining, Niuminco, Nautilus Minerals and other junior exploration companies.
Expected to be the biggest ever, the convention is hoped to attract some 20,000 delegates, exhibitors and guests from over 100 countries.