15 Jan 2025

PNG's Marape promising progress on Porgera landowners' deal

10:02 am on 15 January 2025
Aerial view of the Porgera gold mine.

Aerial view of the Porgera gold mine. Photo: Zijin Mining

Papua New Guinea's prime minister James Marape is promising a community benefit sharing agreement with Porgera landowners will be in place by the end of March this year.

James Marape at the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Meeting in Tonga. 29 August 2024

PNG's prime minister, James Marape Photo: Pacific Islands Forum

For three years the huge mine, owned jointly by Canadian company, Barrick Gold and China's Zijin Mining Group, lay idle after the PNG government demanded better lease conditions.

It professed to have achieve this in a deal concluded in late 2023.

The mine partially re-opened early last year however was hit almost immediately by violence among illegal miners at the site and a huge landslip that shut the road link into Porgera.

But Marape remains optimistic with the National reporting him saying: "New Porgera Mining Limited has been generating income for the country and the Government will work closely with the Porgera landowners in order to restore peace so the mining operations should run smoothly in 2025.

"The community benefit-sharing agreement should be concluded in the first quarter of 2025," the prime minister said.

"I want to thank the New Porgera Mining Ltd for their patience and perseverance despite obstacles."

Local villagers hold a placard as they participate in a gathering near the Porgera Gold Mine in Enga province, Papua New Guinea on Sept. 23, 2024, almost one week after police reinforcements were rushed to the area in a bid to quell tribal violence that shuttered the key gold mine

Local villagers hold a placard as they participate in a gathering near the Porgera Gold Mine in Enga province, Papua New Guinea on 23 September 2024, almost one week after police reinforcements were rushed to the area in a bid to quell tribal violence that shuttered the key gold mine Photo: AFP

Marape said the government is looking at building an alternate link road to Porgera.

He also said they want to commit more police resources to the Porgera mine site so that the safety of the workers and the surrounding communities is well taken care of.

In a statement he said, "I want to inform everyone in Porgera that it is a new Porgera and it has a better benefit-sharing agreement for the landowners of Porgera and the big work will be happening in the first six months of 2025."

-RNZ Pacific, PNG National

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