Tusi Tala
Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister, James Marape, has pledged that a community benefit-sharing agreement with the landowners of Porgera will be finalized by the end of March this year.
The Porgera mine, jointly owned by Barrick Gold from Canada and China’s Zijin Mining Group, remained inactive for three years due to the PNG government’s demands for improved lease terms. A deal was reportedly reached by late 2023.
Although the mine partially resumed operations early last year, it faced immediate challenges, including violence from illegal miners and a significant landslide that blocked access to the area.
Despite these setbacks, Marape expressed optimism, noting that New Porgera Mining Limited has been contributing to the country’s income. He emphasized the government’s commitment to working closely with Porgera landowners to restore peace, ensuring smooth mining operations for 2025. “The community benefit-sharing agreement should be finalized in the first quarter of 2025,” he stated, while also thanking New Porgera Mining Ltd for their patience amidst the difficulties.
On September 23, 2024, local villagers gathered near the Porgera Gold Mine in Enga province, following the deployment of police reinforcements to address tribal violence that had disrupted the mine’s operations. PM Marape mentioned plans to construct an alternative road to Porgera and to allocate more police resources to ensure the safety of workers and local communities.
He concluded, “I want to assure everyone in Porgera that this is a new era for the mine, with an improved benefit-sharing agreement for the landowners, and significant developments are expected in the first half of 2025.”
