Nauru celebrates 50 years of phosphate handover
Government Information Office
MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Thursday, 2 July 2020
Nauru celebrates 50 years of
phosphate handover
Nauru honours fifty years since the phosphate industry was
handed over to Nauru in a celebration at the Aiue Boulevard, 1
July.
President Lionel Aingimea, Madam Ingrid Aingimea and cabinet
ministers attended the celebrations, known as Handover Day, which
signifies the changing of ownership and management of Nauru's
phosphate from the British Phosphate Commission (BPC) to the Nauru
Phosphate Corporation in 1970, and later rebranded to RONPhos in
2005.
RONPhos Executive Director Newman Rykers welcomed guests to the
celebration recalling the great wealth phosphate brought Nauru and
expressed his pride in being part of the company which he describes
as being "the backbone of the economy of Nauru."
"Ownership is something that is very important to a country as
small as ours. The handover not only opened a door but it fulfilled
a vision and ended a struggle. A struggle that began with our
forefathers on their road to independence.
For while independence was gained in 1968, they had yet to
regain ownership of the mining rights of their phosphate," Mr
Rykers said.
The BPC handed over the operations for approximately AU$20
million over three years to 1 July 1970.
On 1 July 2005 the rebranded RONPhos resulted in the creation of
another organisation, the Nauru Rehabilitation Corporation which
supports the work of RONPhos to rehabilitate mined out lands.
Looking to the next 50 years, President Lionel Aingimea said,
"the plans RONPhos has in place to move forward positively… they're
thinking outside the box."
"I have faith in the Minister (Reagan Aliklik) and the
leadership group for RONPhos. I'm looking forward to seeing the
positive work that will be coming out of RONPhos," the president
said.
Secondary phosphate mining continues on Nauru, with pre-COVID
projected production levels of over 200,000 metric tonnes
annually.
The mining of Nauru's phosphate commenced in the late 1800s by
the Pacific Phosphate Company later taken over by the British
Phosphate Commission before handing over to NPC.
Throughout the 1980s, phosphate brought wealth to Nauru and her
people placing Nauru with one of the highest GDP per capita in the
world, with assets valued at over $1 billion.
ENDS///
Issued by:
Nauru Government Information Office,
Republic of NAURU
Ph: +(674) 557 3009 E: gio.nauru@gmail.com / naurugovinfo@gmail.com /
www.naurugov.nr