Students challenged during visit to Ramu NiCo

Students taking up business studies at Divine Word University in Madang have been urged by an extractive company to work in a multi-cultural environment.
Third-year business management students’ class captain Mohe Denema said the visit to Ramu NiCo’s operational base in Madang Town was an opportunity and challenge for them as future managers.
Course lecturer Kosley Wara said the students were learning about how to get the best out of the work force when an organisation had employees from different cultural and educational background.
The 26 students were introduced to Ramu NiCo Project’s initial construction phase and its current operation.
The US$2.1 billion (K6.9 billion) Ramu nickel and cobalt project is one of the largest and most-ambitious mining and processing projects to have been successfully brought into production in 2012.
The Ramu mine and Basamuk process plant are a joint venture between Highlands (8.56 per cent), the PNG Government and landowners (6.44 per cent) and MCC Ramu Nico Ltd (85 per cent).
Community affairs Manager Albert Tobe said Ramu NiCo operated in some of the remote and challenging terrains with no modern infrastructure.
He said the company had been persistent over the years and production had increased to more than 100 per cent design capacity.
“No investor wanted to develop the project as it is not economically viable,” Tobe said.
“Ramu NiCo as a Chinese investor made the commitment and has improved over the years.”