Porgera Gold Mine operator continues to promote local content

The operator of Porgera Mine in Enga Province continues to promote national content after resuming operations in December 2023.

New Porgera Limited [NPL] General Manager, James McTiernan, said the mine has made great progress in building its workforce to support operational demands.

“We currently have a workforce of over 2,200 people as the mine ramps up its operations in preparation for full production by the third quarter of this year.

“The majority of our workforce at the mine is comprised of local communities with 36 percent from the Porgera-Paiela District and 21 percent from our host province of Enga. As such, most of our roles have been nationalized and only 3 percent of our workforce are non-PNG citizens.”

The mine has recommenced programs to train eligible youths from the tenement areas [including the Hides Transmission Line corridor] and wider Porgera-Paiela District.

This includes the Job Ready Program relaunched in April 2024. This program, renowned for its success in nurturing local talent, identifies and selects genuine applicants from neighbouring communities, providing a vital gateway for inexperienced youth to enter the mining sector.

The program has equipped over 400 individuals with essential skills since its inception in 2016, with many going on to secure positions across various departments of the mine.

However, many of those individuals left Porgera and sought alternative employment when the mine went into care and maintenance in April 2020.

“New Porgera provides an opportunity to provide the foundation for a new thriving and sustainable economy for Porgera, Enga and Papua New Guinea that will outlive the life of the mine and benefit the local economy far into the future”, said Mr McTiernan.