MRA Project Coordinator responding to a question at Itomi village near Vanimo
The Frieda River Community Affairs team spent three weeks conducting public community engagement awareness along the proposed infrastructure corridor between Frieda River, Hotmin, Green River and Vanimo. This program began on July 10th and ended on July 30th in the West Sepik provincial town of Vanimo.
This exercise was to update these communities on the status of the Project’s Environmental Permit and Special Mining Licence (SML) applications before the Papua New Guinea (PNG) regulators. The exercise received positive feedback from the communities as they were informed about regulatory processes.
West Sepik Provincial Mining Coordinator, Jack Apipnok who participated in this program described his experience as positive and collaborative.
“Ongoing engagement with communities provides opportunities to educate people about government systems and processes. This leads to increased awareness, so people are better informed when making decisions,” he said.
Representatives from PNG’s Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) and Conservation and Environmental Protection Authority (CEPA) were also involved throughout this program.
