This is a (hopefully) weekly update about events in Porgera. A few caveats: I’m not in Porgera and I’m only relying on my own knowledge of the valley and open sources. I am not a lawyer. I do my best to keep the dates straight but they may get a day off due to my being in a different time zone than Porgera. Thanks to everyone who sent me links and articles. I’m always interested in hearing more about Porgera if you have information to share.
The biggest story in Enga that I ran across last week was not about Porgera, but Wapenamanda, where media reports that police killed five people on 2 January. The story and the response to it are all over the media and FaceBook and raise many questions. The most basic one may be: Is this the beginning of a new ‘get tough’ policy that will reduce violence in the province, or is it yet another example of episodic police violence which does not solve any thing in the long run?
Nathan Woti at The National has a useful column on PNG’s economy in 2025 reporting that “Unfortunately, Porgera Mine was only able to go into full production mode this year, and according to its earlier report in November 2025, it is on track to produce just under 400,000 ounces of gold (373,003 ounces forecasted) in 2025. New Porgera Limited also declared a K951 million in dividends by the third quarter 2025, of which 51 per cent is for PNG stakeholders. The company also paid K573 million in taxes to the State, and accrued royalties of K112 million.” I’d love to know more about the November 2025 report, as I haven’t seen it.
On 31 December NPL announced a “National Content Plan” which is designed to “maximize national participation, develop Papua New Guinea’s workforce, and deliver sustainable, long-term benefits to local communities.” It is unclear to me what a ‘content’ plan is or what the content of the plan is. The press release did indicate that “33% of the workforce is Porgeran, with a clear objective not only to increase this proportion but also to support progression into higher-skilled and supervisory roles. Engans comprise 55% of the workforce. Women currently represent approximately 10% of the workforce.”
NPL recently finished repairing three houses at Paiam for hospital staff. Manager James McTiernan handed over the keys to Vincent Pyakalyia at a ceremony on 7 January. The repairs cost K185,000. According to The National, the hospital has been closed since 2022.
NPL’s socials are full of job adverts — here’s an example of the sort of ad they’re running.
Finally a quick resource: the porgerajv website has a useful information booklet for 2024. Here’s hoping they release something similar for 2025!
Alex Golub 