PM invites landowners to talks

By ELIAS LARI
PRIME Minister James Marape has asked landowners of the Porgera gold mine in Enga to bring their concerns to be discussed during a forum in the province this week.
He said all mine-related issues have to be discussed with the landowners in Porgera before the mine could be reopened.
According to the Mineral Resources Authority (MRA), the multi-billion-kina gold mine is yet to resume because Mineral Resources Enga (MRE) is yet to sign off on the shareholder’s agreement.
Managing director Jerry Garry said the shareholder’s agreement was the key agreement that needed to be signed off for the creation of new project company for Porgera.
“The project company will then have the interest of the underlying exploration licence as well as the special mining lease which will effectively run the new Porgera mine,” Garry told The National.
“MRE owns five per cent of the residual shares in the project and that is why it is invited to be a shareholder in the new company.”
Garry also explained that the official negotiations were not within MRA’s ambit.
“We cover the regulatory side of business and so currently the state is in negotiations with Barrick, Mineral Resources Enga and the landowners,” he said.
“These are purely commercial negotiations in regards to the commercial interest in the project.”
Marape said if the ethnic clash in Porgera continued the development forum would be moved to Wabag.
“From the deal, Enga will be getting the much needed benefits compared to the previous 30 years deal when the mine was in operation,” the PM said.
“We have to open the mine soon and I need cooperation and discussions which will make us all agree.”