Government Operates in Silos

A joint working document is being drawn up to outline the roles of two departments governing the mineral resources sector.

The working paper will address the duplicitous nature of roles played by the Environment Department and Mineral Resources Department.

Minister for Mineral Resources, Filimoni Vosarogo, said the joint working document on each department’s processes, would be made known to industry players.

“The idea is to simplify process required from the council members and agree on a set ofr equirements that they must meet to satisfy two bodies of law, environmental and mining laws,” he said.

He was responding to concerns of inconsistencies in the Government machinery which adversely impacted mining operations.

One mine operator pointed out inconsistencies in determining the appropriate point of contact for companies -whether it should be iTaukei Land Trust Board, Department of Environment, or the landowner consultation units.

The Mining and Quarry Council’s next meeting will be held next week, where members will be brought up to speed on concerns about effectively running businesses in the face of inconsistencies in the Government machinery.

Such inconsistencies deter investment in Fiji, unconfirmed minutes of an industry council meeting in February revealed.

“While private investors are ready to support the development of mineral resources, the r e l evant departments appear t o operate i n silos,” the council said.

The council has since met with Investment Fiji, whose core mandate was to eliminate bottlenecks that various companies faced.

Investment Fiji chief executive officer Kamal Chetty did not respond to a request for comment. SunBiz understands the council met with and

Investment Fiji chairwoman, Jenny Seeto.

Feedback: frederica.elbourne@fijisun.com.fj