Four project impact areas of the Ramu Nickel Project under Ramu NiCo Management (MCC) Limited were paid their royalty payment totaling to K14.8m for the year 2021 recently.
The landowner groups who benefited from this payout include; Kurumbukari K8.3m , Inland Pipeline, Coastal Pipeline LO’s K2 million each Basamuk LO’s received K3m respectively.
The recent royalty payment to the landowners of the project’s impact areas of the Ramu Nickel Project is the sixth payment made by the Company since production began in 2013, and paid to 190 accounts belonging to clans within the four project impact areas.
Jacob Winis, Principal Landowner of Memeume 1 and Chairman of the Maigari (Inland Pipeline) Land Owner Association (LOA) said, the royalty payments that is made by Ramu NiCo has contributed immensely in improving the lives of impact communities and having access to basic services.
“The royalty payments made by Ramu NiCo to the landowners has helped us in setting up small businesses or projects, supporting us with school fees and access to health services.
“I see that there is actual change now than before because for a very longtime, there hasn’t been much done to change the way of living but when Ramu Nickel Project came to be, it has brought with it, changes to our livelihoods,” Winis said.
The first royalty payments were paid in 2018 for years 2013- 2017 that was paid in two separate accumulated payments. The first payment that was made in June of 2018, a sum of K25.5 million was made while the second payment of K8m paid out in July to December of 2017.
Royalty payment of approximately K16.3 m for 2018 was made in 2019, while approximately K26.2m was made in 2020.
The 2020’s payment of K 17.3 m approximately was made in 2021, with the most recent payment of approximately K14.8m was done this year, for 2021.
Ramu Nickel mine says a total of K108.1 million in royalty payment has been paid since 2018 to the landowners.
The payments made to landowners of the project and stakeholders are based on the project’s production of the year concerned and are prioritized for landowner groups that are the rightful beneficiaries of the project.