How to Co-Exist with the Porgera Mine: A Professional’s Perspective

Eggai Latham
Jan 23, 2024
4 min read

The Porgera Mine is one of the largest gold mines in Papua New Guinea, located in the Enga Province. It is owned by a joint venture between the Papua New Guinea government and Barrick Niugini Limited (BNL). BNL is owned by Barrick Gold of Canada and Zijin Mining Group Limited of China1. The mine has been operating since 1990, but it has also been the source of many problems for the local community and the environment due to initial community risks and impacts of such a mine not effectively managed to minimise the social problems by all parties all parties.

Located in the Enga Province of Papua New Guinea, the Porgera Mine is among the biggest gold mines in the country. It is jointly owned by the Papua New Guinea government and Barrick Niugini Limited (BNL), which is a subsidiary of Barrick Gold from Canada and Zijin Mining Group from China. The mine started operating in 1990, but it has caused many issues for the environment and the local people, as the mine was not well-managed to reduce the social impacts.

In 2020, the mine was shut down after a dispute between the government and Barrick over the renewal of the mining lease. After three years of negotiations, the mine was reopened in 2023, with a new agreement that gives more benefits and opportunities to the people of Porgera2.

As someone who started my professional career in Porgera, I have a personal interest in the well-being of the community. I have no political affiliations or connections with any of the groups that oppose or support the mine. I just want to share my thoughts on how the community can co-exist with the mine in a safe and lawful way.

Why Co-Exist with the Mine?

Some people may wonder why the community should co-exist with the mine at all. Why not just get rid of it and go back to the way things were before? The answer is simple: the mine is not going anywhere. It is a reality that the community has to deal with, whether they like it or not.

The mine provides many benefits to the community, such as jobs, income, infrastructure, health, education, and development. The mine also contributes to the national economy and the global gold market. The mine is not a curse, but a blessing if managed properly.

However, the mine also poses many challenges to the community, such as environmental damage, human rights violations, social unrest, and law and order issues. The mine is not a paradise, but a problem if neglected or abused.

The community has a choice: to co-exist with the mine in a peaceful and productive way, or to fight against the mine violently and destructively. The choice is theirs, and so are the consequences.

How to Co-Exist with the Mine?

I have seen other mining communities around the world that have learned how to co-exist with the mines in their areas. For example, Muswellbrook, a town in New South Wales, Australia, used to be a farming community, but it had to adapt to the presence of several coal mines nearby3. The town has managed to balance the needs of the mining industry and the local community and to create a sustainable and prosperous future.

Of course, every situation is different, and what works for one community may not work for another. However, I believe some general principles can guide the community of Porgera in co-existing with the mine. Here are some of them:

Learn from the past. The community should reflect on the past experiences of living with the mine, both positive and negative. They should identify what worked and what didn’t, what helped and what harmed, what improved and what worsened. The community should use this knowledge to avoid repeating the same mistakes and to build on the same successes.
Engage with the present. The community groups differences aside to support and be actively involved in the current operations and decisions of the mine. They should communicate with the mine management and the government, and voice their concerns and suggestions through peaceful dialogs. They should participate in the monitoring and evaluation of the mine’s performance and impact. They should seek and seize the opportunities and benefits that the mine offers.
Plan for the future. The community and the mine should work together to develop a clear vision and strategy for the future use of the land considering the long-term effects and implications of the mine, both positive and negative.

Conclusion

The Porgera Mine is vital for the community, but it also poses many challenges. The community has seen the consequences of the mine’s closure, and now it has to decide how to live with it. I wish the community all the best, and I hope they can turn Porgera into a wonderful place to work and live. I hope we can use the lessons from the past to make wise decisions in the present and to build a better future for us and our children.

Let’s paint a better tomorrow now.