Loan assistance for miners

MINERAL Resources Authority (MRA) will help alluvial miners in Wau, Bulolo, Morobe, obtain loans from banks for their businesses, an official says.
Managing director Jerry Garry, on Friday, made the statement after alluvial miners in the district raised concerns that they needed loan assistance to get into business but could not as there were stringent requirements tied to loans.
Garry said from next year onwards, there would be a partnership programme with other stakeholders where research would be carried out to find out how much gold was in a particular area (for interested miners) and then help them to secure loans to start working the area.
He also thanked those who contributed meaningfully to support Small Scale Mining Training Centre (SSMTC) in Wau over the last 10 years.
“The MRA is behind this sector (alluvial mining) and we will play our part to make sure this sector reaches another level in the future,” he said.
Mining Minister Johnson Tuke’s first secretary Motsy David congratulated the MRA on behalf of Tuke for successfully training of people engage in alluvial mining over the last 10 years.
“The celebration of the 10th anniversary of the MRA’s SSMTC in Wau is a milestone achievement as the only alluvial mining school in the country and the Pacific that has trained over 5,000 local men and women,” he said.
David also congratulated the European Union for the establishment of SSMTC in Wau in 2008 under the mining support sector programme and handed the centre to MRA in 2010.
“This is one of the initiatives taken by EU regarding the many development agendas it has for the country.”
David said the MRA had imparted to people methods used and awareness on safety and environment especially with need to reduce the use of mercury in their alluvial mining activities.
“The courses taken at the training centre include health and safety, business development, mining techniques, regulatory requirements and coming up are new training modules for more complicated and mechanised operations.”