THE Namosi Joint Venture (NJV) has this year paid out a total of $250,000 in education assistance for students from the province of Namosi and the tikina Waidina in Naitasiri who applied for financial support for tertiary education or vocational courses.
According to venture statement, under its education assistance program $120,000 has been paid out for students who applied for assistance in Semester 2 to add to the $130,000 paid out for students attending courses in Semester 1 this year.
The statement said the funds helped students pay for tertiary education and vocational courses at the USP, Fiji National University, Corpus Christi Teachers College, APTEC, Pasifika Institute of Tourism and NZPTC among others.
NJV country manager Greg Morris said they were encouraged by the interest shown by the students and the Namosi and Waidina communities towards the program.
"The program assisted 119 students in Semester 1, and 100 students have been assisted for this semester. We received a record number of applications for Semester 2 assistance," Mr. Morris said.
"Applications were processed and decided on based on the criteria set out in the education assistance program guidelines and in consultation with community representatives." Education assistance for the 2012 year is now closed, the statement added.
The Namosi Joint Venture (NJV) is a group of three companies who have come together to explore for and potentially mine mineral resources in Namosi and Naitasiri Provinces.
NJV includes Newcrest (Fiji) Ltd (70%), Materials Investments (Fiji) Ltd (28%) and Nittetsu Mining Co. Ltd (2%). Newcrest is the operator and manager of the NJV.
NJV has been granted a special prospecting lease (SPL 1420) by the Fiji government to explore for minerals in the Namosi region, about 30kms west of Suva. The licence area is primarily in Namosi and Naitasiri Provinces.
The current focus of exploration activities is at Waisoi in Namosi.
The government has confirmed that under the Environmental Act 2005, the Waisoi Project requires an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to be undertaken to assess the potential impacts of a mine in the area.
The Waisoi Project EIA is underway and is anticipated to be completed in 2013.
If a mine at Waisoi can be safely and economically developed, it will bring significant economic opportunities to the local and wider Fiji community.
NJV is committed to working closely with the local community and other stakeholders.