Papua New Guinea’s APEC year has started, with the first Senior Officials Meeting now under way in Port Moresby. Recent experience shows the year will be successful, according to the country’s APEC Ambassador, Ivan Pomaleu. David Toua, chair of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) says it is necessary to support globalisation.
House prices still remain out of reach for most Port Moresby residents, according to a report by the National Research Institute. It says that changing the approach to customary land has become necessary because state land is running out.
Super fund Nambawan Super is one of the largest sources of investment capital in Papua New Guinea. Paul Sayer was appointed CEO last August; he talks Business Advantage PNG about the fund’s approach to investments.
The establishment of a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) in Papua New Guinea is likely to take more than a year, according to Zanie Theron, Managing Partner of professional services firm KPMG, which is advising the government. She tells Business Advantage PNG that, although there are challenges, positive signs can be observed in the business environment.
Greg Pawson, the newly appointed Chief Executive of Kina Securities, has said that the world economy is showing signs of recovery, which will have a positive effect on the economy. But he believes that Papua New Guinea still faces big structural challenges.
The fourth Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) report, compiled by consultants Ernst & Young, shows that the sector dominates exports and is a major part of the nation’s GDP, but it is less of a contributor to employment and government revenue.
Foreign exchange issues will continue in the short term according to Robin Fleming, Chief Executive of Bank South Pacific [BSP]. But he tells Business Advantage PNG that there are better longer-term prospects and that Papua New Guinea’s biggest bank is thriving in a challenging economic environment.
The long commodity bear market is coming to an end, according to Richard Yetsenga, Chief Economist for the ANZ Banking Group. He also observes that, in a world growing more sceptical about globalisation, there is growing competition for foreign direct investment.
As Papua New Guinea business gets back to work, Business Advantage PNG’s Andrew Wilkins looks at some of the issues coming up in 2018. With APEC coming to Port Moresby and a second LNG project in the offing, this is a year when PNG is going to be the subject of international attention.
A report on the state of the Papua New Guinea economy by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says the Government has taken some ‘bold steps’ in its economic management. But it contends that the challenges are considerable and would be best managed with an ‘active’ approach to macroeconomic management.