Albert Schram, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Technology (Unitech) in Lae, tells Business Advantage PNG that the institution is undergoing a broad ‘cultural change’. The aim is to create closer ties with business in order to produce better qualified graduates.
Businesses in Papua New Guinea may be finding it hard to get foreign exchange, but credit quality within the domestic economy remains relatively healthy. Finance executives and analysts tell Business Advantage PNG that there has been only a slight deterioration of kina-denominated credit, despite the weak economy.
September’s Papua New Guinea Investment Conference in Sydney is designed to promote Papua New Guinea as a key business destination in our region. Business Advantage International’s Andrew Wilkins reveals some of the planning that is going into the program.
What do business leaders look for as signs of recovery in Papua New Guinea’s economy? In the second of a two-part series, Business Advantage PNG gets views from senior executives in finance, manufacturing and agribusiness.
What are the signs of economic recovery in Papua New Guinea that business leaders should look out for? In the first of a two part series, Business Advantage PNG asks some experienced business leaders what indicators they regard as significant and whether what they are seeing is positive.
Papua New Guinea needs greater flexibility in the exchange rate, Rohan Fox, Lecturer and Research Fellow at the University of Papua New Guinea’s Division of Economics, explains to Business Advantage PNG. He believes APEC will be a boost to the economy but not enough to spark a general recovery.
The Papua New Guinea economy is gradually stabilising as it adjusts to the impact of the PNG LNG project, according to the Bank of PNG’s latest Monetary Policy Statement. Real economic growth is predicted to be 2.8 per cent, the kina has been steady, and the 2016 balance of payments was in surplus. But there are financial stresses, as David James reports.
The lack of availability of foreign exchange is creating imbalances within the Papua New Guinea financial system, according to a report by Kina Securities. It says there is a build up of liquidity in kina, which may have implications for the financial strategies of domestic companies.
The Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has outlined a plan of greater government involvement in Papua New Guinea’s industrial development. In a speech to the Australia Papua New Guinea Business Forum & Trade Expo in Port Moresby O’Neill described the need both to broaden the industry base and to move some industries up the value chain.
The economic risks faced by the three main commercial banks in Papua New Guinea are very high, says ratings agency S&P Global Ratings. But Associate Director Andrew Mayes tells Business Advantage PNG, credit risk is ‘well-managed’.