Grant of K3mil on agenda: Yama

Madang’s annual mining development grant of K3 million is another agenda to discuss, Madang Governor Peter Yama says.
He said this in a press conference on Saturday after receiving K7.9 million in royalties from Ramu Nickel on behalf of the provincial government.
Yama said mining development grants the province should have received from the National Government since establishment of Ramu Nickel would have been K54 million.
He said the province was mindful of development packages which he termed “gifts” to the country from Madang.
Yama said Madang preferred to remain “silent” over this matter until the Ramu Nickel mining review scheduled for November.
He said the Chinese government was investing huge sums of money on infrastructure developments in Port Moresby when Ramu was its biggest investment in the country.
Yama said there were roads, bridges, schools and aid posts to be attended to in Madang but all the focus was on Port Moresby.
“The biggest Chinese investment in the Southern Hemisphere is in PNG – in Madang and not Port Moresby,” he said.
“Madang is where the Chinese presence is felt.
“We are still waiting for our gifts like the ones given to Port Moresby.”
Ramu Nickel president Yongxue Gao said Prime Minister Peter O’Neill visited China and signed an agreement to pave way for more developments.
Gao said that was the first of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region, with mutual benefits in areas of trade and resource sharing.
He said Ramu Nickel would continue to contribute towards economic prosperity for PNG.