Scheduled road projects in Papua New Guinea will cost around K7 billion over the next five years, according to David Wereh, Secretary of the Department of Works and Implementation, with almost K2.6 billion of works currently under way. But PNG’s poorly-maintained existing roads represent a ‘time bomb’ for the country.
New Britain Palm Oil Limited and the West New Britain provincial government have held preliminary talks which could see electricity generated from the company’s waste products provided across the entire province.
First Air Niugini, then PNG Power … then PNG Ports and the National Airports Corporation? The Papua New Guinea government is embarking on a grand plan to reinvigorate state-owned enterprises. But privatisation is not the only option to ensure SOEs function as viable entities.
The partial privatisation of Air Niugini will be the first in a series of privatisations. Opening the 2014 Papua New Guinea Advantage Investment and Infrastructure Summit in Port Moresby this week, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill said removing government ownership will reduce waste, inefficiencies and corruption.
Port Moresby International airport is undergoing an expansion, ahead of an influx of passengers for the 2015 South Pacific Games, the 2018 APEC summit and projected increases in traffic as the economy grows. The Acting Managing Director of the National Airports Corporation, Joseph Tupiri, outlines the plans to Business Advantage PNG.
Despite cuts to foreign aid spending in this year’s Australian Federal budget, released this week, Papua New Guinea will gain an extra A$59 million (K155 million) and regional programmes also stand out as the beneficiaries from this year’s budget, according to analysts.
Simon Foo has been with Papua New Guinea’s national airline, Air Niugini, since day one and is now its Chief Executive Officer, after 12 years as a board member. Celebrating the airline’s 40th anniversary, he talks to Business Advantage PNG about the airline’s priorities and needs for the next 10 years.
By introducing a range of specialty services Lae International Hospital has emerged as a leading private health facility in Papua New Guinea’s Morobe Province.
Hundreds of millions of dollars is being spent in Papua New Guinea on road repairs and new roads, from Port Moresby to the Highlands and coastal provinces. Business Advantage PNG surveys what the country will get for its money, and considers what is still needed.
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.