———- Barrick Gold delegation meets PM
———- Updates Reko Diq feasibility study due by year-end
———- Maintains locals to be given priority
———- PM encourages Barrick Gold to invest in other projects too
———- Adds plans to be chalked out for communication infrastructure
By Asghar Ali Mubarak
ISLAMABAD: A delegation from Barrick Gold Company, led by Chief Executive Officer Mark Bristow, met Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Friday. They informed him that the feasibility study for the Reko Diq project in Balochistan would be completed by the end of the current year.
The prime minister expressed his belief that the Reko Diq project would be a game changer for the development of Balochistan and the wider region. He stated, “This project will usher in a new era of development of the province and prosperity of the people.”
He also said planning would be done regarding communication infrastructure, particularly railway lines, to fully utilise Balochistan’s mineral resources.
Furthermore, the prime minister urged Barrick Gold to consider investing in other mineral projects within the province. He suggested potential collaboration between the government and Barrick Gold to establish a technical university in Chagai district.
The government, he noted, is committed to facilitating investors, particularly in the areas of road and communication systems.
In terms of the progress of the Reko Diq project, the Barrick Gold delegation reported that the feasibil-ity study would indeed be concluded by the end of the current year. They highlighted the company’s prioritisation of employing local and Balochistan domiciled individuals for the project.
Additionally, Barrick Gold disclosed their efforts in corporate social responsibility, including the estab-lishment of three schools near Reko Diq and the provision of technical training to 100 individuals, in-cluding women.
The meeting was attended by Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik, Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazir Tarar, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Muhammad Jehanzeb, and other rel-evant senior government officials.
Earlier, Reko Diq Mining Company (RDMC), a subsidiary of Barrick Gold Corporation, hosted an exhibition for local vendors in Quetta. RDMC operates in Pakistan under a Joint Venture agreement with the provincial government and the federal government. This expo, the first of its kind in the sector, invited the participation of suitably qualified vendors from across Pakistan, with a special focus on those within the project area in the dis-trict of Chagai and the rest of Balochistan province, to participate in the Vendor EXPO which was spearheaded by the RDMC Supply Chain team.
The expo was intended to provide companies from Chagai and Balochistan with an opportunity to pre-sent their businesses and to meet with other large-scale Pakistan companies.
The forum also created an opportunity for companies from the Balochistan province as well as larger national companies in Pakistan to register their interest in participating in the Reko Diq project con-struction.
RDMC is focused on developing and building relationships with local companies where their capability and market competitiveness allows. More than 150 companies were represented at this event which facilitated networking between the company management and local vendors.
