The Mines and Minerals Board has cancelled the Prospecting License (PL) of Gold Ridge Mining Limited for its operations at Mt. Vunusa, Central Guadalcanal.
The decision was conveyed in a letter to Mr. Gao, Managing Director of Gold Ridge Mining Ltd., on December 9, 2024. The letter, signed by the Minister of Mines, Energy, and Rural Electrification, Bradley Tovosia, referenced the Board’s recommendation from December 12, 2023, and its further deliberations during the 3rd Ordinary Mines and Minerals Board meeting on November 21, 2024.
The letter stated:
“As required under Regulations Part 11 (4) of the Mines and Mineral Regulations 1996, you are hereby advised of the Mines and Minerals Board’s resolution.
“The Board has once again been notified that since its deliberation on your limited access to Mt. Vunusa on December 22, 2023, you continue to face unresolved issues with landowning groups within the Koehoto Region, which include rights over blocks within your PL tenement area.
“In that meeting, it was revealed that certain landowners had revoked consent for access, thereby violating the terms of the Surface Access Agreement. Consequently, the Board recognized that this revocation nullified Gold Ridge Mining Ltd.’s access rights, leading to the resolution that the company no longer holds access under the agreement.”
The Mines Division was instructed to seek clarification from the Attorney General’s Chambers to confirm the legality of cancelling the license. With the issue clarified, the Board officially recommended the cancellation of Prospecting License PL05/22 due to the loss of access to the tenement area.
Gold Ridge Mining Ltd.’s Director and Government and Public Relations Manager, Benjamin Afuga, stated that the company is seeking further clarification and plans to challenge the decision in court.
However, Joel Jackson, a vocal advocate for mining activities in Turarana, criticized the decision as unfair, claiming Gold Ridge had not violated any terms.
Jackson noted that the PL was set to expire in 2025 and alleged that the cancellation might be motivated by undisclosed interests within the Mines and Minerals Board and the Minister.
Chairman of the Koehoto Landowners Association (KLA), Celestine Seri, welcomed the cancellation, asserting that the tenement would now return to customary ownership.
Seri emphasized that any future prospecting applications would need to consult the rightful landowners before proceeding.
In February 2024, then-caretaker Minister Tovosia suspended the operations of Win Win Investment Solomon Islands Ltd., citing illegal mining within a tenement allocated to Gold Ridge Mining Ltd. through Prospecting License PL05/22.
While acknowledging Win Win’s valid mining lease adjacent to GRML’s concession, Tovosia condemned its unauthorized activities as violations of the Mines and Minerals Act 1990, the Mines and Minerals Regulations 1996, and the conditions of the Mining Lease and Agreement.
Win Win Investment’s representative stated that the suspension remains in effect until conditions, including an independent geological assessment, are met. The company has called the requirement a costly undertaking.
Gold Ridge Mining Ltd., focused on hard rock mining, and Win Win Investment, engaged in alluvial mining at Turarana, Central Guadalcanal.
By Eddie Osifelo
Solomon Star, Honiara
