Community Mine Continuation Agreement (CMCA)

These programs, the Communications & Consultation Patrol (CC Patrol) and the CMCA Census Update play a crucial role in securing the communities' consent and social license for OTML's operations.

The annual CC Patrol serves as a platform for OTML to share information about its operations, address community queries and concerns, and listen to feedback from the local communities. This helps the company's management to promptly address emerging issues and foster a positive relationship with the communities.

Chairman for MRCMCA Holdings Ltd, James Assan, said the vehicle will be used to access communities’ and expand community presence.

MRCMACA Holdings is under the Ok Tedi umbrella and holds 12 percent of the OK Tedi Mine shares for 152 villages from the Community Mine Continuation Agreement (CMCA) regions in the Western Province.

The CMCA regions are North Fly, Middle Fly, Kiwaba, Highway, North Ok Tedi, Suki Fly Gogo, Manawete and Dudi Region.

With funding from their Village Development Funds (VDF) managed by the Community Mine Continuation Agreement (CMCA) Trust Administration, the project was completed at over K90, 000.

The aid post has a birthing room, medicine storage, consultation room and an indoor bathroom and flush toilet with water, gravity fed from a tank.

Caleb Konmop the Village Planning Committee (VPC) Chairman for Ambaga has proven his role after completing Trust-funded projects school housing and church building.

Ambaga Village in the North Ok Tedi Trust region of CMCA area recently saw the completion of two development projects built by local youths at a cost of over K90, 000.

“This building was built from local knowledge. We used the youth in the community to build the church building,” said Konmop.

The hotel is the eighth and final major CMCA Trust investment project to be delivered by the Ok Tedi Development Foundation (OTDF) under the current CMCA Trust investment processes.

The K35 million investment completes a real estate, aviation and shipping portfolio worth in excess of K110 million for the eight CMCA Trusts of Nupmo, Tutuwe, Wai Tri, Middle Fly, Suki Fly Gogo, Manawete, Kiwaba and Dudi.

Their most recent investment, the Cassowary Hotel, will be jointly opened by Ok Tedi Mining Limited Board Chairman, Sir Moi Avei, and the Governor of Western Province, Taboi Yoto.

The highly anticipated opening of the 40-room full service hotel is poised to be a major event at the growing riverside township of Kiunga with a number of traditional singsing groups from the North, Middle and South Fly CMCA regions performing.

A ground breaking ceremony was held last month in Aiambak, Middle Fly District, where the factory will sit to signal the commencement of construction expected to begin at the end of the year.

The initiative is part of the Ok Tedi Development Foundation’s (OTDF) Livelihood Development Package (LDP) program, a strategy to ensure sustainable economic activities continue well after the life of the mine. The program includes other products such as rice and eaglewood.

This is one-third of total dividend of K150 million declared by OTML for payment in December 2016.

The revelation of dividend payments should be welcome news for affected villages and CMCA landowners who, although received compensation payments, did not get dividend payments in 2015 due to the mine’s closure.

The announcement comes off the back of OTML performing strongly despite restarting operations in March this year following a seven-month closure due to the El Nino drought.