Porgera Landowners Association Inc.

19/03/2026

PMJM and Peter Ipatas we the indigenous people of Porgera SML and LMP are still waiting for the Resettlement funds total of K700 million commitments made by PMJM in Porgera on 2021. So far there is no development and actions been taken since portion of the funds has been transferred to Enga Provincial Government

22/02/2026

PLOA INC. CONSOLIDATED MEDIA STATEMENT

A National Betrayal: PNG Government and New Porgera Limited Continue to Marginalise Indigenous Porgera Landowners.

Port Moresby / Porgera – For Immediate Release

The Porgera Landowners Association Incorporated (PLOA Inc.), representing the 25 legally recognised SML clans, issues this strong and unified statement to condemn the continued failure, neglect, and deliberate sidelining of indigenous Porgera landowners by the State of Papua New Guinea, New Porgera Limited (NPL), and Barrick Niugini Limited (BNL) as the operator of Porgera Gold Mine project under the leadership of Prime Minister Hon. James Marape.

This conduct constitutes nothing less than a slap in the face of the rightful customary landowners of one of Papua New Guinea’s most valuable national assets.

Broken National Commitments and False Assurances

The Prime Minister publicly assured Porgera landowners that the Community Development Agreement (CDA) would be concluded before 25th December 2025. That promise has collapsed into silence, delay, and inaction.

Mining operations have fully resumed, gold prices are at historic highs, and profits are flowing, yet the landowners who bear the social, environmental, and cultural costs remain excluded from the very agreements that legitimise the project.

Failure to Honour Gazetted and Warranted Commitments

The State and its joint venture partners have failed to account for or release the following binding commitments:

• Infrastructure Development Grant (IDG) – K700 million

- Publicly announced in 2021 at Paiam Sports Complex during initiation of the CDA
- Approved under NEC Decision No. 391/2021
- Gazetted and warranted
- Intended for resettlement of SML landowners

To date: no disbursement, no explanation.

• Business Development Grant (BDG) – K50 million [Component of K250 million]

- Intended as seed capital for landowner enterprises
- Meant to ensure meaningful participation in the mine economy

Completely sidelined.

• Royalties and Equity: Delayed, Withheld, and Non-Transparent

PLOA demands an explanation as to why:

- Royalties and equity entitlements to SML landowners are not paid in a timely and transparent manner; and
- Why landowners must continuously beg for what is rightfully theirs under law and agreement.

• Undermining of Lawful Landowner Structures

Despite Supreme Court endorsed recognition of the 25 SML clans, NPL and its agents have attempted to manufacture 43 so-called “groups” to sign the Long-Term Compensation Agreement (LTCA);

- Pressured legitimate Clan Agents to participate in this unlawful process; and
- Acted in direct contradiction to:
i. Court decisions
ii. The Mining Act 1992
iii. Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) standards
iv. Seven (7) PLOA Clan Agents who were coerced have withdrawn consent, reaffirming that:
a) No LTCA will be signed unless it is done jointly with the CDA and only by the 25 recognised SML clans.

• Illegal Operations and Absence of Social Licence

The Porgera Mine is operating without a concluded CDA with the lawful landowners. The Consent Compensation Agreement (CCA) signed in 2022 giving access for NPL to resume operations after Care & Maintenance has lapsed on the 23rd of November 2025. Yet NPL continues its operation illegally proclaiming the 43 landholders, whom do not have justifications and legitimacy have signed and consented.

The LTCA has not been validly executed by the 25 SML clans. Attempts to rely on alternative groupings do not cure illegality. BNL and NPL are therefore operating without a valid social licence, contrary to national law, international best practice, and industry standards.

• Temporary Licence Expiry and Withdrawal of Consent

The temporary licence to operate expired at midnight on 23rd November 2025. The 25 SML clans will not consent to operations beyond 24th November 2025, unless:

i. All parties (State, NPL, BNL, SNT) urgently convene; and
ii. CDA negotiations are resumed and concluded without delay.

Yet, NPL is reluctant on operating illegally under the protection of the Government of PNG.

• Systematic Exclusion of Landowner Economic Participation Ari Group and Kaugel Hydro Project (KHEP) Sidelined

The SML clans’ umbrella company, Ari Group Holdings, sponsors the 90MW Kaugel Hydroelectric Project, which is:

i. State-endorsed
ii. CDA-approved
iii. Shovel-ready
iv. Privately financed
v. Zero-carbon

Yet BNL refuses to engage on a bankable Power Purchase Agreement (PPA); and continues to favour its own gas-fired IPP operations, which was transferred to the Hela Provincial Government while blocking landowner led solutions. This is economic exclusion by design, not accident.

What PLOA Demands – Without Compromise

a. Immediate conclusion of the CDA with the 25 recognised SML clans
b. Joint and concurrent ex*****on of CDA and LTCA
c. Full compliance with Supreme Court decisions
d. Abandonment of the unlawful 43-group construct
e. Genuine engagement with Ari Group and KHEP
f. Time-bound power licence renewals aligned to KHEP COD
g. Written responses from MRA, SNT, and relevant ministries, with clear timelines and public reporting
h. Ascertainment of landowners IDG, BDG, Royalties & Equities.

PLOA’s Final Position

The 25 SML clans are united. They support mining only on the basis of legality, social licence, and genuine consent. Porgera must become a model of fair, transparent, and community-centred resource development, not a case study in landowner exclusion and state failure.

PLOA will pursue all lawful and peaceful avenues, nationally and internationally, to protect the rights, dignity, and future of the indigenous people of Porgera.
Enough is enough.

OUT TO THE GOVERNMENT NOW

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04/10/2025

One of Papua New Guinea's largest gold mines is reopening after years of political and legal stand-offs. The Porgera mine was shut down in 2020 in a play by ...

04/10/2025

State and Developer need to think above before declaring dividend for Porgera Mine.

One of Papua New Guinea's largest gold mines is reopening after years of political and legal stand-offs. The Porgera mine was shut down in 2020 in a play by ...

14/07/2025

Dear Governor Ipatas,
After more than two decades of your tenure as the political head and provincial custodian of Enga, I write to you with deep frustration and an enduring sense of moral obligation not as a political rival, but as a legitimate representative of a community that has borne the brunt of systemic exploitation, regulatory neglect, and socio-economic exclusion.

The people of Porgera have made profound sacrifices for this province and nation. Our customary land has underpinned one of the largest extractive operations in Papua New Guinea, yielding billions in foreign exchange earnings, government revenue, and corporate profits. Yet, what we have received in return is catastrophic environmental degradation, forced displacement, erosion of cultural heritage, and a breakdown of social order. Public goods and services, including healthcare, education,

infrastructure, clean water, and security, remain either grossly underprovided or entirely absent.
Governor, during your extended political stewardship, our people hoped for progressive leadership that would ensure equitable resource governance and sustainable development. Instead, we have witnessed an entrenched culture of political inertia and failure to enforce corporate accountability. The provincial administration under your leadership has repeatedly abdicated its fiduciary duty to safeguard landowner rights, ensure compliance with environmental and social obligations, and uphold transparency in the management of royalties and benefit-sharing mechanisms.

Your recent public commendation of the State Negotiating Team regarding the New Porgera Agreement, as expressed during your media conference, was particularly disheartening. Let us be clear: the people of Porgera do not share your view. We consider such praise disingenuous and out of touch with the lived experiences and legitimate concerns of the landowners. Your remarks project a misleading narrative and diminish the genuine grievances of the people who continue to suffer the consequences of an inequitable agreement.

This is not the conduct expected of a leader who claims to represent his people it is political posturing that further erodes public trust. The recent announcement of dividend distributions and tax remittances by Barrick (Niugini) Limited was also met with your endorsement. While such fiscal disclosures may be applauded at the macro level, they do little to conceal the lived reality of deprivation in Porgera, the decaying educational institutions, derelict health facilities, unregulated settlements, and non-functional infrastructure that define our socio-economic landscape. Commending corporate payments without addressing structural inequality and service delivery failure is not governance, it is abdication.
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Let us state without ambiguity: the free education policy you often tout is substantially underwritten by mineral royalties originating from Porgera. Without the gold extracted from our ancestral lands and the ongoing suffering endured by our people, this policy would not be fiscally viable. The economic surplus generated from our natural resources has subsidized national priorities, while our own communities remain impoverished and disenfranchised. This asymmetry is morally indefensible and politically unsustainable.
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Our people have waited with patience, submitted to due process, and extended good faith in the hope of reform. That patience is now exhausted. We are compelled to speak with urgency. We demand, Governor Ipatas, that you fulfill your constitutional and moral obligations, transcend political expediency, and collaborate meaningfully with landowners, regulatory agencies, and development partners to deliver a just, transparent, and inclusive development framework for Porgera.

This is not mere political rhetoric. It is a resolute call for restorative justice, responsible governance, and socio-economic empowerment for a community that has paid the price of national development without reaping its dividends.
We await your response not in the form of ceremonial statements but through tangible policy commitments, budgetary allocations, and enforceable implementation measures.

Sincerely,

Mark Tony Ekepa
Chairman
Porgera Landowners Association

08/07/2025

PRESS STATEMENT | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: 08th July 2025

RESPONSE TO PRIME MINISTER'S STATEMENT ON PORGERA GOLD MINE (PROJECT).

As the Chairman of the Porgera Landowners Association (PLA), I am compelled to respond to the recent statement by Prime Minister James Marape on the achievements of New Porgera Limited (NPL) in the first quarter of 2025.

While the Prime Minister has every right to commend what appears to be a promising restart to operations, I must speak on behalf of the customary landowners of Porgera who have, for over three decades, borne the full weight of mining on their land often with little to show for it in return. The reality on the ground tells a different story, one that deserves equal space in the national conversation.

The report that NPL has poured 84,800 ounces of gold, valued at over USD 200 million, is notable from a production standpoint. However, such figures mean little to us if the wealth continues to leave Porgera faster than it is invested back into the lives of our people. The completion of the Mulitaka Bypass Road is being presented as progress. Let us be honest: that road was built to move equipment and gold, not schoolchildren or patients. Our people still walk for hours to reach health posts and basic services. Real development should be measured not in ounces of gold or kilometres of road, but in the human condition.

The Prime Minister proudly announced USD 80 million in dividends and USD 48.9 million in corporate taxes. But we must ask: how much of that has reached the landowners? Where is the breakdown of the 15 percent landowner equity? Has a single kina been paid directly into landowner accounts? Have women’s groups, youth cooperatives, or affected communities seen any of that money? Yes, the government is seeing returns in Waigani, but here in Porgera, we still live with unsealed roads, untreated rivers, displaced homes, and uncertainty. Economic success must be measured by inclusive impact, not by boardroom balance sheets.

We welcomed the 51 percent national ownership structure including 15 percent for landowners. But equity is more than a percentage on paper; it must result in real, bankable, visible benefits. Landowners remain excluded from decision-making forums. The entities meant to represent our equity lack governance, transparency, and are marred by political interference. Without a seat at the table, ownership remains symbolic, not substantive.

The Prime Minister called the 2020 closure "bold." But for landowners, it was a time of economic ruin and social collapse. Thousands of jobs were lost. Small businesses folded. Law and order collapsed. Women and children suffered as livelihoods vanished. No safety nets were put in place. While the mine has resumed, many businesses remain locked out, and unemployment persists.

Our land is not a tool of the mining industry. It is the source of our life, our culture, and our future. The gold lies under customary land land that was never sold, never surrendered, only temporarily leased under SML. The Community Development Agreement (CDA) and Long-Term Land Compensation Agreement (LTLC) are not optional. They are the foundation of our rights and protection.

What we are asking is not radical. In fact, Barrick Gold has delivered similar or better benefits in other jurisdictions, and we demand no less. In Tanzania (North Mara & Bulyanhulu), Barrick created a Community Development Fund jointly managed with local stakeholders, investing in schools, water systems, hospitals, and agricultural initiatives. In the Dominican Republic (Pueblo Viejo), Barrick committed over USD 75 million in social development programs, including relocation and modern housing for impacted communities, plus environmental rehabilitation. In Zambia (Lumwana), Barrick supported local training institutes, agribusiness ventures, and infrastructure, while maintaining local hiring quotas and fair procurement policies. In Argentina (Veladero Mine), Barrick invested in sustainable energy, environmental monitoring, and emergency response infrastructure in partnership with local authorities. These programs demonstrate what is possible when landowners and host communities are treated as partners, not just passive stakeholders.

Resettlement remains the most urgent and overlooked issue facing the Porgera landowners today. The Prime Minister announced K700,000 in resettlement funds during his recent visit to Porgera. Yet there is no sign of leadership, no plan, and no clarity. If these funds are real, where are they kept? In what trust account? Who administers them? The people deserve answers. Instead, resettlement is being used as a political melody a convenient soundbite to justify the reopening of the mine without resolving the very humanitarian crisis caused by decades of displacement.

While K700,000 remains unaccounted for, K130 million has already been allocated to the Enga Provincial Government as Infrastructure Development Grants (IDG). We ask: where is the same level of urgency when it comes to rebuilding the lives of displaced families? People who lost their homes, gardens, and water sources are now being told to wait, while their suffering is repackaged as political success. This is not only unjust it is manipulative and dehumanizing.

Porgera’s resettlement is a human rights crisis. Our people have no land left to plant food. Food security is collapsing, and malnutrition is rising. If genuine leadership is not provided, if a proper, participatory, and transparent resettlement program is not rolled out we will be left with no choice but to shut down the mine. The world will not stand by while a gold mine operates in the heart of a humanitarian crisis. Resettlement must follow global best practices, involving landowners in planning, implementation, and oversight, ensuring dignity, justice, and long-term security for all affected communities.

I appreciate the Prime Minister’s effort to tell a story of national progress. But the landowners of Porgera must tell our story too. Without our land, there is no gold. Without our people, there is no Porgera.

We are not asking for charity. We are demanding our rightful share, our rightful say, and our rightful place in the future of this land. Let Porgera be a turning point the last time landowners are sidelined while their land lights up the wealth of others.

Ends///

Mark Tony Ekepa
Chairman, Porgera Landowners Association
Porgera, Enga Province

09/06/2025

My opinion: Tax Holidays and the New Porgera Deal. A Missed Opportunity for Economic Sovereignty

From an economic standpoint, the decision by the Government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) to grant a 10-year tax holiday to New Porgera Limited still operated and managed by Barrick raises serious questions about the country’s fiscal discipline, resource governance, and long-term development strategy.

In 2020, the Internal Revenue Commission (IRC) claimed K1.6 billion in unpaid taxes from Barrick Niugini Limited, citing tax avoidance over the past 30 years. This claim was not just a legal issue, it was a signal of structural failure in PNG’s resource tax regime. In an economy heavily reliant on extractives, forgone revenues of this magnitude represent lost opportunities to fund critical public investments in infrastructure, health, education, and economic diversification.

Despite this, the New Porgera agreement allows the same operator to continue mining activities under a newly restructured ownership, while benefiting from a decade-long tax holiday. Economically, this is highly problematic. First, it undermines the principle of tax neutrality that all firms should contribute equitably to the public purse. Second, it distorts market signals and encourages rent-seeking behavior, where firms negotiate for exemptions rather than compete on efficiency and productivity.

PNG’s fiscal space is already constrained, with rising public debt, limited revenue growth, and high dependence on resource exports. Granting tax holidays especially to firms with a history of alleged non-compliance weakens the state’s capacity to raise revenue. Even with a 51% national ownership in New Porgera, tax revenues are still essential because dividends are often delayed due to cost recovery mechanisms and reinvestments.

The argument that tax holidays attract foreign investment may have held weight in the past, but for a mature, high-grade mine like Porgera, it is not applicable. The mine’s proven reserves and high gold prices reduce the risk profile considerably, meaning the government had sufficient leverage to demand both equity and fiscal contributions. By foregoing taxation, PNG has effectively subsidized a highly profitable operation, transferring wealth out of the country at the expense of domestic development.

If the government is serious about the “Take Back PNG” agenda, it must align political rhetoric with sound economic policy. This means enforcing existing tax laws, demanding payment of back taxes, and designing fiscal terms that ensure extractive industries contribute meaningfully to national development. Anything less risks perpetuating the resource curse, where natural wealth fails to translate into broad-based economic progress.

In conclusion, the New Porgera arrangement, while politically branded as a win for PNG, economically represents a missed opportunity to assert fiscal sovereignty. A nation cannot become the “Black Richest Nation” by giving away its tax base it must build it through strong institutions, transparent contracts, and policies that prioritize long-term national benefit over short-term political expediency.

Thank-you

Mark Tony Ekepa
Chairman, Porgera Landowners Association

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09/06/2025

A Flawed Porgera Mining Agreement

The reopening of the Porgera Mine under the new Porgera Mining Agreement has been hailed as a landmark deal meant to deliver greater benefits to Papua New Guinea (PNG). However, despite its public celebration, the agreement is deeply flawed in both its structure and intent, and risks repeating the mistakes of the past under the guise of national interest.

First, the ownership structure, although improved in terms of giving PNG stakeholders a majority interest (51%), is misleading in substance. The majority of this ownership is held by state entities and politically connected interests, rather than by the landowners whose lives and environment are directly affected. Landowners were promised meaningful equity, yet their actual influence in the governance and revenue streams remains minimal. The structural inequality remains intact.

Second, the agreement continues to rely on the flawed equity participation model, where PNG entities "buy in" to ownership through loans or deferred benefits, rather than adopting a true production sharing model. In a country with weak fiscal discipline and poor transparency in public finance, this model simply mortgages future benefits. Production sharing agreements (PSAs) would have guaranteed the State and landowners a share of actual output from day one, minimizing the risks of cost overruns, hidden accounting, and tax avoidance. Instead, the cost recovery system allows the operator, Barrick Niugini Ltd, to deduct massive initial and operational costs leaving PNG stakeholders to wait years before receiving real value.

Third, the agreement fails to address environmental and social legacies of the past. There is little clarity on compensation for damages caused by the previous decades of mining, and no clear guarantee of environmental justice or improved standards moving forward. The people of Porgera have long suffered from displacement, pollution, and violence. A truly fair agreement would have placed environmental rehabilitation and landowner welfare at the forefront.

Finally, the negotiations and signing of the agreement lacked transparency. Critical terms were agreed to behind closed doors, without full consultation with impacted communities or parliamentary oversight. Such opacity undermines public trust and sets a dangerous precedent for future resource deals.

In conclusion, the new Porgera Mining Agreement is a step forward in form, but not in substance. It is a missed opportunity to fundamentally reset how PNG benefits from its vast mineral wealth. Without serious reforms especially toward production sharing, transparent governance, and community ownershipthe deal risks becoming yet another case of lost sovereignty and broken promises.

Mark Tony Ekepa
Chairman, Porgera Landowners Association.

03/06/2025

Who Really Benefits from the New Porgera Mining Agreement?

A Call for Strategic Landowner Action.!

As the Porgera Gold Mine reopens under a new ownership structure, landowners and Papua New Guinea (PNG) stakeholders must ask: Who truly benefits? And how can landowners ensure they are not left behind for another decade?

Barrick’s Investment and Rapid Recovery

Barrick Gold, through Barrick Niugini Ltd (BNL), has invested USD $300 million to restart the Porgera Mine. At current gold prices (~$2,200/oz) and expected annual output of 400,000 ounces:

Gross Revenue: $880 million/year

Operating Costs (AISC): $400 million/year

Net Profit: $480 million/year

Investment Recovery Time: Less than 1 year

Over 10 years:
Barrick earns approximately $4.8 billion, recovering its investment many times over.

PNG's Share: Ownership Without Immediate Benefit

Under the New Porgera Agreement, ownership is split:

PNG Stakeholders (51%) State (36%), Landowners (10%), Enga Province (5%)

Barrick (49%)

BUT this is not a Production Sharing Agreement (PSA). It is a corporate joint venture. That makes all the difference.

The Catch: No Dividends for PNG for 10 Years

> "No dividends will be paid to PNG stakeholders for the first 10 years to allow Barrick to recover its costs."

Implications:

Barrick receives 100% of profits for 10 years

PNG stakeholders including landowners receive nothing in cash terms

No royalties, no production-based payments only equity, which pays nothing during the cost recovery period

10-Year Estimated Economic Breakdown

Stakeholder Equity % 10-Year Cash Flow Notes

Barrick 49% $4.8 billion Full profit share, rapid cost recovery
PNG State 36% $0 No dividend during cost recovery
Landowners 10% $0 No royalty, no early payments
Enga Province 5% $0 Same deferral applies
Total PNG 51% $0 Passive ownership with delayed returns

> Insight: PNG “owns” the mine but does not share in the gold for the first 10 years. If gold prices fall or costs rise, there’s no guarantee dividends will ever materialize.

Strategic Recommendations for Landowners

With no early cash flow from equity, landowners must negotiate strong, enforceable agreements now using tools like Community Development Agreements (CDAs) and land compensation.

1. Demand Immediate, Legally Binding Community Development

Roads, water, schools, and health services

Set delivery timelines with penalties for delays

2. Secure Royalties or Direct Benefit Payments

Fixed payments per ounce produced independent of profit

Paid directly to landowner trusts, not dependent on dividends

3. Negotiate Fair and Ongoing Land Compensation

Annual land access fees

Indexed to inflation and gold price fluctuations

4. Establish a Transparent Landowner Trust

Professional management and governance

Independent audits and annual reporting to clans

5. Demand Cost Recovery Oversight

Landowners must audit costs and review financials

Prevent cost inflation that could delay benefits even beyond 10 years

Final Word to Landowners and Leaders

> Porgera landowners you are owners, not beggars. Your land holds billions in gold.

Don't wait 10 years to see benefits. Negotiate now for real value and sustainable development. Learn from countries like Ghana, Tanzania, and Mongolia, where landowners fought and won upfront benefits.

To candidates contesting the Porgera-Paiala by-election:

> The real money to develop your electorate is in Porgera not in Waigani.
You go to Waigani and bring home K10 million. But fix these agreements, and you’ll unlock billions. That’s the truth.

This is your moment. Stand united. Negotiate smart. Secure your future.

Thank you tumas

02/06/2025

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