Porgera SML 11 agents attain leadership and governance skills

The 25 agents from the Special Mining Lease (SML)11 area of the new Porgera Mining Project, recently concluded a week-long workshop on leadership and governance.

The workshop facilitated and funded by the Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) was conducted by the PNG Institute of Banking and Business Management (IBBM) at the Kumul Lodge in the Enga Province.

The MRA’s Project Coordinator for Porgera Mine project, Joe Kak Ryangao, said the workshop was conducted especially to prepare the agents for the planned development forum and beyond, where they are expected to manage and provide good leadership and practice good governance in the running of their individual clans, especially their businesses.

The workshop was prompted by the realization that the leaders lacked basic management, leadership and good governance knowledge, needed to manage their clans effectively. Over the years, this has resulted in the breakdown, infighting, mistrust and disunity amongst clan members and their leaders. It is expected that this workshop will be a catalyst to an improved and effective way in which the clan agents will manage their clans’ affairs.

The IBBM’s workshop facilitator Peterson Lais said the leadership component of the program included instilling the right values and the principles by which the agents as leaders must conduct themselves when doing business.

Agents for the Angalani-Diwi and the Tieni-Yangua Clans, Robert Peter and Warakos Ondalane respectively, said, this was their first time in the history of their clans where they had been involved in such an important educational workshop. They said their views in running the affairs of the clans had changed for the better as a result of attending the workshop. The agents said among other things, they had learnt how to communicate issues better and promote good values doing business.

The Porgera Landowners Association Treasurer and Chairman of the Porgera Development Authority (PDA), Nixon Mangape thanked the MRA’s Acting Managing Director Jerry Garry for having the oversight in organizing and fully funding the workshop for his agents.

Top image caption: The new Porgera Mining project Landowner clan agents at the training recently.