LAGAIP MP SAYS CDA NEEDS TO BE COMPLETED

By Sharon AGAVI

Fears of illegal miners continuing to occupy local villages and causing undue trouble in and around the Porgera Gold Mine, has prompted followup questions from Lagaip MP Aimos Aikem, on the status of the resettlement plans which are part of the Community Development Agreement.

The Lagaip MP raised this concern, for the third time again, during question time in Parliament this morning, when he directed questions to the mining minister & Jiwaka MP Wake Goi, on the time frame of completion of the CDA & Resettlement Plan.

The mining minister responded by affirming MP Aikem’s concern about illegal miners and assured him that both the CDA & the Resettlement Plan would hopefully be completed in the first quarter of 2025.

MP Wake Goi says CDA plan is 95% completed, according to reports from his team at the Mineral Resources Authority and that they hope to wrap this up by the end of this month of March or April.

For the Resettlement Plan, the mining minister says this require more attention however, they expect to make good headway by June/July 2025. He says the work that remains includes identifying suitable resettlement sites as well as funding sources.

MP Wake Goi says the Enga Provincial Government is working closely with the Mining Department and around the clock, to complete the CDA & Resettlement Plan.