Top Barrick official in country to discuss Porgera gold mine

The National Main Stories

THE president of Barrick Gold Corporation Mark Bristow is in the country to discuss with the Government how they can work together on the Porgera gold mine.
He met members of the Porgera Landowner Association special mining lease negotiating team in Port Moresby.
Chairman of the negotiation committee Maso Mangape and deputy chairman Dickson Pundi said Bristow arrived on Tuesday with a team “to restart talks on the Porgera mine at the invitation of Prime Minister James Marape”.
“The team maintained a partnership with Barrick Niugini Ltd (BNL) because the continuation of the special mining lease provides a clear commitment and certainty for the people we represent as BNL brings world-class expertise and capital resources to enable the mine to run for its 20-year extension and generate returns for the landowners,” Mangape and Pundi said in a statement.
“The negotiating team and BNL held talks earlier and reached an agreement on ground-breaking terms for landowners to benefit from the continuation of the BNL special mining lease.”
It is Bristow’s sixth visit in 18 months to PNG.

20 comments

  • Forget about Barrick n Png government must operate pogera mine 100% own. The Barrick company received their profits 30 years ago is enough. Do not give them another chance or extend another 20 years. Png can do it and government must fight for Png people.

  • Rubbish…! Your government does not have the billions of kina to pay BNL. Negotiations on a win-win situation is the way to go with BNL still maintaining operator ship.

  • BNL here to stay, The Government or via Kumul holding can not run a world class mine like Porgera. What happened to Tolukuma mine?? a small medium scale mine operated by Govt owned Petromin. Landowners are happy for BNL to return and operate the mine.

  • Stupid commentators, don’t support your government, they don’t have million kina to operate mining so let Barrick operate and we all support, Government what they trying to did is looking for means and ways to be a millionaire so support Barrick to operate.

  • Kanex I appreciate your opinion but why the hell would PNG government pay BNL for??? Their (BNL) mining lease has expired and the government has 100% right to renew or forfeit these agreement….I don’t see any landowner benefit for the landowners anyway…Them landowners who are talking now have personally benefited from the landowners money because of the position they are in so my suggestion is that PM JAMES MARAPE had made the right decision.

  • Don’t be stupid to argue with the government. Hope our government is on right track so let’s all support our government. Barrick should be out for the good of the country.

  • Its about time, let Barrick leave the country peacefully. The company got enough in years of operation.

  • I think the plain language the GoPNG and EPG are saying is pay us more and you stay? Na something under the table too, we have a election around the corner and we have to survive the challenges that we anticipate for lying.

  • Who are these people with the CEO? Are they LOs for Porgera Mine? How much percentage did the Joint Venture company offer to you people within the years of operations in Porgera? Toktok tasol mi nogat gold mine lo ples blo mi…

  • Our politicians are good at making negotiations under the table.
    We all have accused PO of doing this during his reign as PM.
    Guess who was with him during PO’s reign and learnt the tricks?
    You guessed it, JM as finance minister.
    We are all fools to support either PO or PMJM because the guys are still mates. They have a common interest and that is to make sure their corrupt past is suppressed as much as possible.
    We, the ordinary people are the real losers.

  • We just cannot do this along so as Kumul holdings, one way or another we will still need the worlds second mining giant Barrick.

  • Barrick has had it’s shares for the past donkey years. The mining lease has expired so BNL just pack up and leave PNG shores.What good had the mining giant delivered to the people of Pogera,nothing. PMJM made the right decision for our country to own the mine.

  • The Government under the leadership of PM Honourable James Marape has set the tone for all present and future investments in our beautiful country PNG. PNG should stand united to ensure our resource owners get maximum benefits particularly from non renewable resources. So unfortunately for Barrick it begins with you. For our good land owners have a sit down and assess what have you achieved in the last 30 years of the mine. And going forward what you want to gain before or when the resource is all gone. In these, most importantly we all need our God Almighty Yahweh let’s seek Him for wisdom and understanding so we know his Will on what He has blessed us with on the earth.
    The governments policy is clear, more money and capital generated for the country to get on it’s two feet and make it happen. Not rely on foreign aid to meet our needs. I concur with the PMs vision and statement for our beautiful PNG to be a rich black country, Who says its impossible, for every believer we declare His Words, ” With God nothing is Impossible”
    More importantly this government has shown the will to ensure every penny is accounted for.
    Simply put it you do not get into Parliament to become rich over night. Be the servant of your people. If you “can not be a servant of your people” please I beg you every leader reconsider your intentions for next elections. God bless PNG

  • Looks like the government has once again given in to a corporate giant. Our leaders will to give in to multinational corporations not matter what they may say. All projects in the country should be shared 40-60 or better still, 50-50. We don’t know how much was given to PNG in in one but the truth will always be there.

  • At the invitation of PNG Government? Are the faces on the paper National Government Negotiating Team or representatives of LO.?/ Yet to see from what PNG gov would say??

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