PACIFIC ACP TRADE MINISTERS TO CONSIDER RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN EPA NEGOTIATIONS WITH EU AS WELL AS OTHER TRADE-RELATED ISSUES

Trade Ministers from the Pacific ACP countries will consider the recent developments in the negotiations of an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU) when they meet in Nadi, Fiji, 20 – 21 October.

The Trade Ministers’ meeting will be preceded by a meeting of Pacific ACP Trade Officials also in Nadi, 16 – 17 October.

The Ministers will consider the outcomes of the PACP – EU Joint Technical Working Group Meeting that was held in Brussels last month and decide on a way forward for the negotiations.

“These negotiations are becoming critical as the extended deadline for the negotiations of the EPA with the EU will expire at the end of the year. The Technical Working Group Meeting made progress on some issues that they did not make progress during the previous round of negotiations, including agreement on tariff covering frozen tuna and loins but the Ministers need to be informed on the progress and decide on a way forward in the negotiations,” says Peter Forau, Acting Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.

The PACP Trade Ministers will consider the legal text of the EPA with the EU.

They will also consider the preparations made for the Donor Round Table Meeting on Aid –for-Trade and the Pacific Trade and Development Facility which will be held 23- 24 October.

Other issues at the PACP Trade Ministers will include consideration of a way forward on the Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA) issues including an update on the study on the Pacific Single Market and Economy, an update on China/Pacific Islands Investment, Trade, Tourism and Ministerial Conference held last month, an update on the Shanghai World Expo 2010 and the Joint Scoping Study on Trade, Investment and Development Cooperation Agreement between the PICs and the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

They will also consider a way forward on the Chief Trade Adviser position for the negotiations of the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) with Australia and New Zealand.

 

For more information, contact Dr Roman Grynberg, Director Economic Governance Programme on phone 679 331 2600 or email: romang@forumsec.org.fj

 

 

 

NEW FORUM SECRETARY GENERAL COMMENCES 3-YEAR CONTRACT

The newly appointed Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Mr Tuiloma Neroni Slade (pictured) will start his three-year contract on 13th October.

Mr Slade, from Samoa, was appointed by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders during the 39th Leaders’ Forum in Niue in August to replace former Secretary General the late Greg Urwin who passed away on 9th August.

Mr Slade is the first Samoan to lead the region’s premier political organisation since it was founded in August 1971.

A lawyer by profession, Mr Slade has held several positions in the legal fraternity including a Judge, in the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands (2003-2006); Assistant Director, Legal Division in the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, UK (1983 – 1993), and Attorney General of Samoa (1976 – 1982).

He was also Acting Chief Justice of Samoa for interim periods.

Mr Slade was also Samoa’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, New York and concurrently Ambassador to the United States of America and High Commissioner to Canada from 1993 – 2003.

He was awarded the Order of Samoa – Poloaiga Sili a Samoa, in 2005.

He is also a recipient of the Global Oceans Leadership Award (2003), the Elisabeth Mann Borgese Medal for services to small island developing States and oceans (2003) and a Laureate of the Elizabeth Haub Award for Environmental Diplomacy.

 

For more information contact Mr Johnson Honimae, the Forum Secretariat’s Media Officer on phone 679 331 2600 or email: johnsonh@forumsec.org.fj

 

 

Wrong Email Address

A Highlands couple decided to go to Madang to escape a particularly cold Highlands weather.

They planned to stay at the same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier.

Because of hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel plans.

So, the husband left Hagen and flew to Madang on Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day.

The husband checked into the hotel.

There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an email to his wife.

However, he accidentally left out one letter in her email address, and without realising his error, sent the email.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Port Moresby, a widow had just returned home from her husband’s funeral at 9 Mile cemetery.

He was a minister who was called home to glory following a heart attack.

The widow decided to check her email expecting messages from relatives and friends.

After reading the first message, she screamed and fainted.

The widow’s son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:

To: My loving wife

Subject: I’ve arrived

Date: April 6, 2006

I know you’re surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you’re allowed to send emails to your loved ones. I just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then. Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.

P.S. sure is freaking hot down here!

Wau and Bulolo renaissance

Aerial view of Bulolo. Picture by PNG FOREST PRODUCTS

Golden Pine Plantations, Bulolo. Picture by PNG FOREST PRODUCTS

An aerial view of the Hidden Valley Mine Project area stretching down to Hamata. Picture by SIMON ANAKAPU of MOROBE MINING JOINT VENTURES

The author (centre) with Sampson Bonai (left) and Vii Killar at the start of the Hidden Valley Access Road at the back of Bulolo. Picture by SIMON ANAKAPU of Morobe Mining Joint Ventures

Panorama of the Bulolo and Watut vallers from the Hidden Valley Access Road. Picture by SIMON ANAKAPU of Morobe Mining Joint Ventures

You can feel it in the air as you drive up the scenic Wau-Bulolo Highway from Lae.

We drive over the Markham Bridge crossing the great river of the same name past Niugini Tablebirds, pretty villages with roadside markets, Zenag Chicken, picturesque rolling hills and snaking rivers – which if they could speak – would tell you so much.
In the rivers and creeks, village miners are quietly sifting a fortune in gold dust, using crude wooden sluices made from bush materials and cheap metal pans.
Our driver, Gima Pokana of PNG Forest Products, points out a spot along the Snake River dubbed as “ATM Corner” because, whenever villagers and settlers want quick cash, this is where they come, just like an ATM machine in town.
My colleagues, The National’s Lae sales executive Vii Kiilar and our former reporter and local Wau/Buolo boy Sampson Bonai, join in lighthearted banter with Gima.
Memories of my younger days as a reporter in Lae, when I constantly drove along this road, come rushing to mind.
But those days of the late 1980’s and 1990’s, when Wau and Bulolo were disparaged as ‘cowboy towns’ due to the lawlessness, are fast becoming a thing of the past.
There is now a feeling of excitement and optimism akin to the historical gold mining days of the 1920’s and 1930’s.
The once normally-quite road is busy with big trucks heading to and from Lae headed for the Wafi prospect in Mumeng, Koranga Creek, Edie Creek and Hidden Valley in Wau, and PNG Forest Products in Bulolo.
The historical mining towns of Wau and Bulolo in the Morobe province, you see, are on the verge of a major renaissance with the increase in mining activity.
This has resulted in massive economic activities in these areas reminiscent of the 20’s and 30’s.
Employment opportunities and other spin-off activities abound with the ‘big three’ projects at Hidden Valley, Edie Creek and the famous Koranga Creek on the fringes of Wau town.
The historic Bulolo airport was re-opened this year to serve the increased mining activities.
The discovery of gold at Edie Creek above Wau in 1926 sparked off a gold rush of massive proportions which led to the exploitation of the rich deposits of the Bulolo-Watut river system by large-scale mechanised mining.
History is indeed being rewritten with the current developments at Wau and Bulolo which will benefit the whole of Papua New Guinea.
We drive past the Buang junction, over the notorious Kumalu River which buried the once –thriving Mumeng government station under tonnes of rubble, and then the beautiful and iconic pine trees of Bulolo come into view.
Gima drives us into the PNG Forest Products township, which is like going back in time, given the well-kept colonial-style houses which are more than 50 years old.
PNG Forest Products evolved from Bulolo Gold Dredging Limited that commenced operations in large-scale alluvial mining in the late 1920’s.
The Bulolo region was at the time one of the largest gold fields in the world.
A total of seven dredges scoured the valley floor, dredging thousands of tones of high grade gold-bearing ore.
As the mining operation scaled down, the plywood factory and sawmill were constructed.
In collaboration with the then government, the pine plantations were also established at this time.
In 1954, plywood production and the export of product to overseas destinations commenced.
From the early 1950’s the company has been involved in the conversion of both hardwood and plantation resource to high value end products.
Today, PNG Forest Products is the leading producer of timber and plywood products using only 100% plantation pine.
Its products include prefabricated houses, dressed timber and mouldings, treated power poles, export high grade plywood and veneers.
The company operates a 5.5MW hydro power station at Baiune which was built pre-war to supply power to the gold dredges.
Today, it supplies the total power requirements for the company township of Bulolo and Wau.
PNG Forest Products is truly a self-sufficient organisation with retail stores, freezers, bakeries and a cattle farm.
“The face of Bulolo is changing and becoming a bit like it used to be, which is good for everybody” deputy general manager Rinus Vacks tells me.
“It’s very, very positive.
“Bulolo’s got a very good feel about it.
“We’re certainly riding on the back of the booming economy.
“We’re also moving along with the economy.
“We certainly hope that the current strength of the economy will continue.”
Banks in Bulolo – Nationwide (formerly Wau) Microfinance and Bank South Pacific - are gaining momentum as business picks up as a direct result of the exploration and mining boom in the area.
Nationwide Microfinance, in particular, has picked up dramatically since it was opened in Bulolo last February 26.
“Within this short space of time there has been a lot of cash circulating within within the townships of Bulolo and Wau due to mining activities as well as alluvial mining,” manager Jacob Bigiglen enthuses.
At the Bulolo Golf Club, the oldest in the country, we meet a motley crew of miners, foresters and locals who are all too happy to spin a yarn over a couple of beers about the good ‘ol days of Wau and Bulolo.
The other club in town, Bulolo Bowling Club, is renowned for producing bowlers who have represented PNG in international tournaments.
The next day, we head for Hidden Valley gold mine project with Simon Anakapu, who is public and internal relations manager with Morobe Mining Joint Ventures, a partnership between Harmony Gold and Newcrest.
We take the private access road at the back of Bulolo, which curves its way through the mountains, for over 40km before hitting Hidden Valley.
Here, in the middle of nowhere, a massive change is taking place.
Work at the Hidden Valley gold mine project outside Wau in Morobe province is progressing well and on schedule with production to start next year.
Remote Hidden Valley near the border of Central and Gulf provinces has become a hive of activity as Morobe Mining Joint Ventures work on a project that promises to transform the famous gold mining towns of Wau and Bulolo.
To date, an enormous 26 million tones of waste have been removed from the pre-strip by giant trucks and other equipment, operated exclusively by staff from surrounding landowner villages including women.
Acting mine manager Chuck Hennessey tells me there is a general air of optimism all around as construction work nears competition and commends all staff, many from surrounding landowner villages, for their hard work.
“The feeling is pretty good,” he says.
“This is going back to the root of mining in PNG and we’re pretty excited about that.”
Evening over the Bulolo and Watut valleys as we drive back is a sight to behold as we watch the panorama unfold.
“This is God’s country,” Simon remarks.
And I couldn’t agree more.

Hidden Valley places emphasis on landowners

Hidden Valley gold mine project in Wau, Morobe province, is placing a lot of emphasis on hiring of local people.

Human resource manager Michael Lankester said last Saturday (October 4) that Morobe Mining Joint Ventures planned over the long term to have the project totally run by the landowners.

This is already obvious in operation of heavy equipment on site, which is totally done by landowner employees, including women.

Landowners are represented by the landowner NAKUWI Association, which represents Nauti, Kwembu and Winima villages.

“Our overall aim is to start the project with local people,” Mr Lankester said.

“Our long-term aim is to have it totally run by local people.

“Obviously, we can’t do that straight away, because there aren’t enough people trained in mining in the local area.

“What we’re doing is we’re hiring experienced people from existing mines within PNG with the view that these people will train locals over time.

“We are hiring a lot of locals at the moment as trainees, especially in the mining area.

“All our mining equipment now is run by locals from the Wau/Bulolo areas.

“The way we train these people is we have a simulator.

“This is our initial training medium for our operators.

“They will come in and we put them through a simulator.

“Once we’re happy with that, we let them operate the equipment with an operator sitting beside them and, over time, operate solo.

“We currently have 127 local operators, 11 of whom are females.

“It’s not only the trucks; they also operate the PC2000 excavators, graders, and the whole range of equipment.

“At this stage, we’ve probably got another 20-30 to hire.

“In full operation, we’d like to see our workforce comprise of 75% of locals from the Wau/Bulolo area.

“We probably will have about 650 in full production, and about 350 contractors.

“In terms of our employment interaction with the landowners, we work closely with NAKUWI Association.”

 

Bulolo banks pick up business as mining booms

Banks in Bulolo, Morobe province, are gaining momentum as business picks up as a direct result of the exploration and mining boom in the area.

The two banks in the area are Nationwide (formerly Wau) Microfinance and Bank South Pacific.

Nationwide Microfinance, in particular, has picked up dramatically since it was opened in Bulolo last February 26.

“Within this short space of time there has been a lot of cash circulating within within the townships of Bulolo and Wau due to mining activities as well as alluvial mining,” manager Jacob Bigiglen said

“Within the three months we’ve seen that people have cash to spend around.

“You find that ordinary people in Wau, Bulolo, Watut, Menyamya and Garaina come and open accounts here to keep their money.

“We are able to give small business loans to assist small businessmen from the rural areas.

Flashback...The new Nationwide (Wau) Microfinance Bulolo branch after its official opening on February 26 this year.

“We give loans to people to buy vehicles especially.

“Within this short space of time you will see that a lot of people have new vehicles due to assistance from us.

“We have microfinance loans which we give to small businessmen involved in trade stores and other little activities that they use to create income.

“We also give salary loans to employees of mining companies like Niuminco (Eddie Creek) and Harmony (Hidden Valley), PNG Forest Products and public servants.

“Then we go down to cash back loans which we give to ordinary people who save with us.

Mr Bigiglen said that when the mines were in full operation more people, especially landowners would come in.

“We have a total of 2,300 people who have accounts with us,” he said

“We have 731 people who have taken out loans.

“Business is good.

“Within the next one to two years, we should see more employees coming in and small business growing.

“We are also talking with Wafi landowners about how we can help them.”

Mr Bigiglen, however, said that government support was essential if business was to prosper.

“We are looking at the government to improve infrastructure like roads,” he said.

“The law and order problem also needs to be controlled.

“It’s a win-win situation.

“If the government assists the private sector, the benefits will flow down to the people.”

Bank South Pacific’s Bulolo branch manager Phillip Pung confirmed that the number of account holders had increased.

“We are trying to get the companies to open their operating accounts here,” he said.

“Otherwise, when business booms, the economy picks up, and the workforce and people at large will come in.

“Otherwise, we will have to wait for 2009 when Hidden Valley will start production.

“That’s when we really expect to pick up business.”

 

Hidden Valley on target

Caption: An aerial view of the Hidden Valley Mine Project area stretching down to Hamata. Picture by SIMON ANAKAPU of MOROBE MINING JOINT VENTURES.

 

Work at the Hidden Valley gold mine project outside Wau in Morobe province is progressing well and on schedule with production to start next year.

Remote Hidden Valley near the border of Central and Gulf provinces has become a hive of activity as Morobe Mining Joint Ventures, comprising of Harmony Gold and Newcrest, work on a project that promises to transform the famous gold mining towns of Wau and Bulolo.

To date, an enormous 26 million tones of waste have been removed from the pre-strip by giant trucks and other equipment, operated exclusively by staff from surrounding landowner villages including women.

“We’ve got all of our mobile fleet commissioned,” said acting mine manager Chuck Hennessey.

“That’s about 20 85 tonne trucks.

“We’ve got three large excavators.

“We’ve got about 75 other pieces of construction and mining equipment that are currently working the pre-strip, moving generally about 100,000 tonnes a day.

“Construction is continuing on the mill.

“Civil work is well underway.

“We’ve poured most of the concrete for tank footings, some of the larger pads near the mill, and working on completion of the site mill

“The steel and tank work is about to begin.

“Large vehicle workshop and large equipment workshop are about to be completed.

“And we’re currently working on clearing the track for the overland conveyor, which is five and a half kilometers long.

“The camp is almost complete.

“It’s about 95% complete now.

“And the tailings dam walls are just about to be completed.

“We’re expecting commissioning of the mill in May 2009

“Production should be in quarter three of next year.

“Mill capacity will be 12, 0000 tonnes a day.”

Mr Hennessey said there was a general air of optimism all around as construction work neared competition and commended all staff, many from surrounding landowner villages, for their hard work.

“The feeling is pretty good,” he said.

“This is going back to the root of mining in PNG and we’re pretty excited about that.

“This is the largest mining project for the last 20 years since Lihir.

“Everything’s on schedule.

“The staff here is excellent.

“There’s a lot of really good talent here in PNG.

“We’re going to prop that up and make it even better.”