The Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) of Papua New Guinea has gone live with the first phase of its mineral tenement management project.

The project, which is being undertaken by information technology company Spatial Dimension is being funded through the World Bank’s second Mining Sector Institutional Strengthening Technical Assistance Project (MSISTAP).

The MSISTAP, specifically for Papua New Guinea, aims to strengthen institutional capacity within the MRA and the Internal Revenue Commission to administer and regulate exploration and mining projects and to thereby contribute to socially and environmentally sustainable private mineral investment.

Spatial Dimension Papua New Guinea project team leader Charles Young explains that the first phase of the project included the implementation of a Mineral Tenement Management System based on Spatial Dimension’s FlexiCadastre framework and the launch of an online Web-map providing view-only tenement data for the public, as well as the integration of MRA’s Library Management System into the Mineral Tenement Management System.

Phase 1 was concluded at the External Stakeholders Workshop, held on May 28.

At the workshop, Papua New Guinea Minister for Mining Byron Chan noted that by embarking on this new system, “the government is signalling to investors and the people of Papua New Guinea that it is serious about making sure investors are comfortable and secure, considering that they spend millions of kina on exploration expenditure”.

Acting MD of the MRA Philip Samar said that FlexiCadastre brings significant improvements to the many administrative processes required under the Mining Act and its updates.

He added that it enables better, reliable and timely presentation of mining-related information, which will ensure a more convenient process for the granting, renewal and compliance monitoring of tenure within the MRA and elevate Papua New Guinea into the top tier of destinations for mineral explorers.

The next phase of the project will focus on implementing an Online Transactional Mining Cadastre Portal that will provide licence holders with real-time access to their tenement information and allow the payment of fees and the uploading of work reports, says Young.