Meet gives Ramu locals insight into project deals

THE review of any memorandum of agreement is an on-going project and not uncommon for major resource developments, a meeting has been told.
Review facilitator Martin Brash said this to representatives of landowners association who are meeting in Madang with government representatives and project developer Ramu NiCo Management (MCC) Ltd.
Brash said one thing he realised during the talks was that many people had not seen the MoA but seeing experiences from other mining developments in the country and were arguing these points during the meeting in Madang.
He also reminded the landowners representatives that if they looked carefully at the MoA, they would note it was deliberately structured in line with the different phases of the project such as construction, operation, rehabilitation, mine closure and so forth
He said it was during the operation phase that most of
the benefits were
triggered such as royalties and business spin-offs.
Ramu NiCo’s community affairs department general manager Martin Paining and John Sun, manager of Ramu Management Services Company,  gave presentations on what the developer was doing, even before the operation commenced, in providing assistance to the landowner companies.
Paining highlighted some of Ramu NiCo’s responsibilities in business development for the landowners.  These included providing resources to facilitate landowners’ involvement in business, assisting in finding business opportunities for landowners, facilitating training for landowners businesses and directors, carrying out regular monitoring of landowner companies operation and providing guidance as required and assist in finding investment opportunities.
Sun also highlighted some of the business development plans during the operation phase of the project.
These included the setting
up of business opportunities and identifying  tracking systems.