Mining services organisation wins 2019 innovation award

SUSTAINABLE Alluvial Mining Services won the 2019 PNG Innovation award for small businesses on the basis that it has the potential to support small-scale alluvial miners in the rural areas.
Founding director Immaculate Javia, while acknowledging the organisers of the Innovation PNG 2019 in recognising their work and being awarded, said the programme was to empower small-scale miners in the rural areas.
She said they had worked for 11 years in the small-scale mining sector and had found that small-scale miners needed the knowledge and technical advice as well as assistance to improve their activities in the sector.
“We’ve discovered that the small-scale miners who are rural based are illiterate and need technology, exposure and financial assistance to improve their mining activities, to increase their gold production, have good access to the markets and improved technology in the way they do their mining.
“One thing missing in this industry is that there is no specific policy that is governing this sector.
“As a non-profit organistaion, we want to provide the needed services to the miners.
“Whilst it is a commercial activity, we don’t have any commercial interest in the sector.
“We want to provide the technical service and guidance to people who want to invest into the small-scale mining sector and it has a huge SME (small medium entreprise) potential in there.
“And I’m sure people who want to do business in the sector may not have the advice and we want to provide that and in the process, also help SMEs.”
Javia said the focus was to collaborate with small-scale mining districts to carry out the work.
She said they had partnered with the Esa’ala district of Milne Bay and received a funding of K52,000 for a pilot project of which the first phase was completed but could not continue due to lack of funding.