Immaculate drives IT into alluvial mining

Weekender
MINING

By PISAI GUMAR
SMALL scale alluvial mining in PNG is gaining international recognition fast and needs to be on par with technology-driven change in the sector.
International corporations and foundations like Microsoft and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundations recently launched a grand challenge for organisations that will develop innovative solutions to address pressing issues experienced in various trade and business sectors.
To be on par with technological changes, the 2018Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Port Moresby was themed ‘Digitisation’.
The small scale alluvial mining industry (SSAMI) that deals mainly with artisanal alluvial miners needs a clear blue-print (pathway) going forward in digitisation.
Among the aspiring technical experts in SSAMI is a female environmental science and resource management specialist Immaculate Javia.
Javia founded the Sustainable Alluvial Mining Services (SAMS), a non-profit organisation that encourages sustainable economic development for resource-rich rural communities.
Javia’s vigor and enthusiasm was recognised among 20 successful candidates selected around the world selected for a scholarship to participate in Cohort 13 of the Globalise Accelerator Programme (C13-GAP).
It is organised by Business Reactor Inc in San Francisco Bay Area, Business Reactor’s headquarter from March 1-7, 2020.
It would cost Javia $10,000 (K34,000) in registration fees but that was reduced by half after a rigorous selection process that required outstanding multicultural leaders with clear and exceptional business objectives.
The C13-GAP advocates for a better world through strengthening and exposure of global leaders with unique, peculiar, innovative, original ideas to impact and change the world, be it in research, business or social fronts.
Javia told The National that SSAMI would face various challenges in the sector. Therefore an information session is scheduled to be held at the end of February in Port Moresby and selected locations around the country.
The session are aimed at meeting information technology (IT) specialists, conservationists, entrepreneurs, health specialists, government officials, policy makers and environmentalists to find innovative ideas that can improve the sector.
Javia is seeking immediate sponsorships from government agencies and the private sector, especially entreprenuers in SSAMI.
The C13-GAP will open doors to many other entrepreneurs and innovators from PNG and neighboring Pacific island countries to attend.
“Specifically for government, this is an opportunity to tap into the digitisation world to help the SSAMI sector, particularly in the trade of alluvial gold through innovative means,” Javia said.
The C13-GAP brings together selected senior executives and seasoned entrepreneurs to build connections in the world’s top innovation hubs, explore new business opportunities and set benchmarks for themselves and their companies.

Immaculate Javia (left) with trainers of alluvial miners (in orange) with level four mechanized alluvial mining trainees (green) from Wau.

The five-day programme is designed as a fast-paced intense roadshow for participants to build efficient networks and connections with some of the world’s successful innovators and entrepreneurs.
“I am not an IT person but this opportunity will open doors to collaborate and share expertise and ideas in our respective fields with technology experts in the country and abroad to help our small scale miners to trade their alluvial gold using the latest technology like block-chain.
“The C13-GAP commends my vision and I need financial sponsorship to attend this programme to pave way for many other entrepreneurs and innovators in country to connect with successful innovation experts,” she said.
Javia explained that “Gold is the ultimate measure of wealth, it is the one single precious metal that is valuable to connect the poorest person with the wealthiest and can surpass all frontiers to unite the world”.
SAMS has nine technical volunteers in the mining industry, advocating for recognition, regulation and responsible artisanal small scale mining industry in PNG.
SAMS specifically stresses on connecting rural alluvial miners directly with international markets to ensure that the value of their gold and resources would reflect upon their livelihoods and also achieving the goal of sustainable economic development in disadvantaged communities.
However, the aims cannot be achieved without collaborating with key strategic partners and stakeholders around the globe.

Limited in technical savvy
“Our limitation is in technology and expertise. Likewise, our biggest constraint in our progress is also lack of financial capital and C13-GAP is another crucial opportunity to connect with people and organisations that are willing to support us in the long-run.
“Our future plan is to see alluvial gold traded using block-chain technology and other mechanisms that might not necessarily include a middle person,” she said adding that C13-GAP would lead alluvial miners to the right markets, people and organisations to make this a reality.

An idea for third world countries
“My focus is in my country for a start, my hope is to replicate this idea to many third world countries around the world.
“For this idea to be a possibility, it is essential to connect with like-minded people and appropriate organisations” she said.
Javia is determined to attend the programme and expose her skills of trade that she does best to change the lives of many disadvantaged people in rural PNG in last 14 years.
Similar changes may also create ripples in other communities around the globe in resource-rich countries.
The C13-GAP is an opportunity for exposure and networking to link and share, establish and collaborate with people and organisations with the heart and desire to change the lives of many disadvantaged people around the world.
SAMS is a new organisation established by national experts with over 30 years field and technical experiences with local knowledge in alluvial mining sector.
However, it has limited finances and manpower in a very highly sensitive industry in terms of security and products significance.
SAMS currently lacks the ability to convert technical knowledge into a business model and expertise in technical and policy.
Its clientele is semi-illiterate to a highly illiterate populace that make up 80 per cent of the country’s population therefore it is important to strategise and take a step by step approach.
Why? Because PNG is a country with indigenous people owning 97 per cent of the land hence SAMS is taking a bottom-up approach, involving landholders in business or investments and a sustainable development process.
Importantly, people need to be organised into associations, cooperatives and companies to make mining activities easier, organised and more responsible to make investments easier.
The SSAMI sector is not well-researched and documented thus it is less understood by key government organisations.
Sadly, there is a poor and unreliable market access for many disadvantaged artisanal miners who lack entrepreneurship and investment opportunities.
Javia is determined to meet three speakers during C13-GAP and she explains why:

  • Brian OReilly – For advice and mentorship to convert our expertise and experience of the sector into a business model. Brian’s work with the world’s leading innovators can be an area of interest for the organisation particularly in the development of appropriate techniques in recovering alluvial gold without causing much damage to the environment, ensuring sustainable development is achieved. Brian’s status as a faculty member of Singularity University maybe a path to research into the small scale mining sector.
  • Safwan Shah -Founder and chief executive officer of PayActiv, captures my attention in Compassionate Capitalism, setting up thousands of merchant accounts because our work will be more centered around hundreds of thousands of indigenous artisanal miners who are illiterate and need to be established well to be actively involved in investment opportunities so as to improve their livelihoods. Safwan is also connected to a number of universities, and whilst we put emphasis on research, illiteracy is an obstacle for progress and development. Thus education materials can be developed to a simpler local vernacular to be understood by the artisanal miners.
  • Eric Ferraro –Principal of Fathom Law- Since the sector we are dealing with is profound because of its nature of dealing with gold and money, it is important to have strict laws and policies in place to safeguard the interest of many illiterate local people. Considering the fact that many governments of third world countries are corrupt, it is important to also help governments to revisit laws and policies to regulate the sector well with effective and efficient policies that can both safe guard the people, government and international partners and I believe Eric can be able to advice and direct us well. Eric also represents a fair number of investors who might be interested in venturing into this business and also supporting the work we do.
    “Our future plans of block-chain technology will eventuate at a much later stage when we are in the production, downstream and exporting stages that could be appropriate for block-chain experts to be advising on this technology,” Javia said.