Stakeholders meet to review Ramu mine deal

THE week-long Ramu nickel cobalt mine project memorandum of agreement (MoA) review meeting between the state, Madang provincial government, landowners and Ramu NiCo Ltd started in Mt Hagen yesterday.
The main objective of the meeting is to finalise the MoA document that was revised in Madang last year.
Stakeholders will make further deliberations on issues that were discussed then which include benefits such as business spinoffs, royalties and infrastructure development projects.
Basamuk Landowner Association chairman Lima Mulung said the most important issue for his people was business development in the area.
He said he hoped to know when his people would start getting businesses from the developer and the kind of business arrangements they could enter into with the developer.
“We could purchase heavy duty equipment and lease out to the company,” Mulung said.
Ramu mine executives said the company wanted the review to be successfully completed and all parties were happy so that the project could move forward.
Stakeholders registered for the meeting yesterday followed by a rundown on the programme for the week by meeting facilitators Tanorama Ltd.
Tanorama also briefed stakeholders on the review process structure and the guidelines by which the meeting would be conducted.
This round of review of the MoA is expected to be the final one before all stakeholders sign off.
The state team led by the Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) includes State Solicitor’s Office, departments of Commerce and Industry, Treasury, Prime Minister and NEC, Mineral Policy and Geohazards Management (DMPGM), and National Planning and Monitoring.
The four landowner associations involved in the Ramu project MoA are Kurumbukari, Basamuk, Coastal Pipeline and Maigari Inland Pipeline.