State, landowners meet to fast track agreement process

THE State and Hides-to-Porgera power line landowners met last week in Tari, Hela, to fast track the Community Development Agreement (CDA) process before the end of May.
This is so that stakeholders in the CDA can start receiving their benefits and allowing the full operation of the mine.
Mining Minister Muguwa Dilu urged landowners, impacted communities and stakeholders of the Porgera mining project to fast-track the CDA process so that they could start receiving benefits.
“The Porgera mining project is a priority of the Government (which) wants the mine to go into full operations immediately,” he said.
The meeting with the power-line landowners was the final one of a series of pre-CDA meetings, which the State Team has been conducting in the past months.
The aim of pre-CDA meetings was to provide the State’s response to the position papers, create awareness, clarify issues, prepare landowners and respond to specific pre-dominant agendas presented in position papers submitted by landowners and stakeholders.
The next step is to launch the CDA proper for negotiations, after which all parties and other stakeholders would start the CDA.
The CDA proper meeting would be held from May 15-30.
“All landowner groups are important stakeholders of the project, and that the Government would ensure their position papers were considered,” Dilu added.
“What the Government needs is cooperation with the State team to quickly find ways forward to address your positions on major potential benefit streams available such as equity and business development grants.”