While we’re still waiting for major projects to commence, some key data is suggesting Papua New Guinea’s economy has turned a corner.
Posts by Andrew Wilkins
With major new resources projects still in play, and new players entering the market, this election year will be one to watch in Papua New Guinea. Business Advantage PNG talks to the country’s business leaders about the year ahead.
Local and international investment trends suggest there is still a long way to go before the economy returns to pre-COVID levels, but some trends offer optimism and Papua New Guinea could take advantage of them.
With less than nine months until PNG’s National Elections, set for July 2022, the ‘Take Back PNG’ agenda of the Marape Government is moving into new areas.
PNG’s Pandemic Controller David Manning’s decision to remove the requirement for international visitors to quarantine on arrival is a significant development if it lasts, making it easier for international business people and skilled workers to come to PNG.
The three-day 2021 Business Advantage Papua New Guinea Investment Conference starts live-streaming at 9am on Tuesday 7 September. Andrew Wilkins, Publishing Director and conference host, Business Advantage International, outlines the reasons why this is the year to attend.
Like it or not, geo- and climate politics look set to have an even stronger influence on PNG’s business and investment agenda.
Australian telecommunications giant Telstra has been in negotiations to buy Digicel, Papua New Guinea’s largest telco. Meanwhile, gas company Santos has been pursuing PNG’s largest company, Oil Search. Why is PNG seeing such mergers and acquisitions activity, and are more likely?
For the time being, PNG’s economy appears to be managing its way through the COVID-19 crisis. According the Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey in the Final Budget Outcome for 2020, released in the past week, the ‘economic impact of the health crisis remained within our initial estimates.’
A couple of weeks ago, Business Advantage International hosted a small, high-level gathering of PNG-focused business leaders in Sydney, Australia.