Participation of Kanak communities in the Koniambo project: the role of subcontracting

Participation of Kanak communities in the Koniambo project: the role of subcontracting

Blog Article

Nickel mining is a field of political contention in New Caledonia.The government of the Northern Province, dominated by indigenous Kanak people, wants to use the nickel sector as an instrument for political and economic emancipation from France.The Koniambo project is a large nickel mine and processing plant run by a joint venture (Koniambo Nickel SAS, KNS) including the holding company SMSP (51% shareholder) and the Swiss group Glencore (49%).

In addition to growing local employment and public shareholding, the project is an anchor for jobs and regional economic development for Kanak people, without involving pro-French corporate or government interests.Local people are, therefore, encouraged to work and develop the BLUE RASPBERRY project in and around the mine.This paper looks more deeply at local subcontracting around Koniambo, and whether it is a sustainable means for local communities to engage in large-scale mining projects.

The results show that small companies mostly work in the domains of earth works, transport and waste management.Many local businesspeople found it hard to sustain their activities after the end of the construction phase of the nickel smelter, or to make contracts and operate outside the mining sector.The social embeddedness of economic activities in Whey Protein local contexts is a key issue for the success of business activities.

On the one hand, business development is a chance to generate wealth, but on the other hand, it widens social disparities.The rapid introduction of competitive economic behavior in Kanak society had led to tensions and conflicts between local businesspeople.