Saonu vows to support small-scale alluvial miners

MOROBE Governor Ginson Saonu has vowed to support small scale alluvial gold miners in the province.
He said Morobe government would be open to recommendations and proposals from miners from their October workshop and it would tabled with the 2020 provincial budget before the provincial executive committee in December.
Saonu said this during a small scale mining (SSM) consultation workshop in Bulolo last week.
He said small scale miners had been neglected and no proper policies in place by the authorities to support them.
“I expect a provincial policy, strategies and better management approaches to support our small scale miners,” Saonu said.
He said Morobe government was committed to supporting small scale miners wherever possible.
He said it was only fair the government looked at the small miners apart from Morobe’s larger projects.
Saonu said these small miners needed to be protected and supported.
He thanked small scale mining office in Wau for its support of small scale miners over the years.
“The office in Wau has done its part and it is time the Morobe government plays its part.”
Saonu said his government had appointed Albatross Integrated Ltd (AIL) to define all requirements by Mineral Resources Authority.
He said AIL would map out a path for miners to be compliant to regulatory requirements, define administrative support required by miners with strategies for a consolidated and commercial approach for SSM in Morobe.