There is no question that Papua New Guinea’s manufacturers-which account for about 9% of the country’s GDP – have been caught up in the general downturn in the country’s economy, with a combination of lower investment in the mining and petroleum sectors, lower commodity prices and a stronger currency slowing growth and reducing domestic demand.
In the second and final part of his exclusive interview with Business Advantage PNG, ExxonMobil PNG Managing Director Peter Graham considers the flow-on benefits of the PNG LNG project and ExxonMobil’s future in PNG. Plus, what’s going to happen to the project’s 14,700 workers?
The jockeying for positions in what could be Papua New Guinea’s second liquefied natural gas project has taken a surprising turn, with Oil Search purchasing Pac LNG’s holding in the Elk and Antelope gas fields in Gulf Province.
As Papua New Guinea’s largest resources project edges closer to completion, Business Advantage PNG speaks exclusively with Peter Graham, the man who has lead the PNG LNG gas project since Day One. In this first of a two-part series, the Managing Director of ExxonMobil PNG provides an update on the project’s progress.
While Papua New Guinea’s economy has slowed in the past year, many of the country’s manufacturers continue to see growth as the longer-term trend, and are investing in new plant, new products and new marketing approaches.
With the PNG LNG project moving from its construction phase into production, a downturn in Papua New Guinea’s building and construction sector is underway, softened somewhat by the national government’s injection of infrastructure spending. But there’s still plenty of work to be done, as Business Advantage PNG reports.
Several new developments – the creation of a tourism hub at Kokopo (and new direct international flights to service it) and the start of cruise liners visiting remote Milne Bay – indicate progress is being made to develop Papua New Guinea’s tourism industry.
Cheap imports into Papua New Guinea are posing an increasing threat to local producers, with reports of foreign companies ‘dumping’ goods in PNG or under-declaring the value of imports.
Major industrial projects underway or in the pipeline north-west of Port Moresby look likely to create an industrial and logistics corridor over the next five years. Business Advantage PNG examines the progress in Central Province, just outside Papua New Guinea’s capital.
Lae-based food manufacturer Prima Smallgoods has recently completed a K40 million (US$15.82 million) upgrade to its manufacturing operations. It’s all about the longer term, General Manager Adrian Chow tells Business Advantage PNG.