With its domestic services in Papua New Guinea close to pre-COVID levels, national carrier Air Niugini is now looking to increase its international services, as it continues to provide an international economic lifeline for the country.
Infrastructure
To build or not to build: multibillion dollar Chinese project highlights Western Province’s dilemmas
Reports that a Chinese company has put forward a multibillion dollar plan to develop several areas in Western Province have highlighted the lack of investment in one of Papua New Guinea’s most neglected provinces.
Departing PNG Power Chairman Peter Nupiri has called for less political interference in the state-owned utility and a ‘strong commitment’ from government for its reform.
With its estimated 760,000 population expected to grow by between 2.5 and four per cent annually, Port Moresby has a challenge to grow successfully. A new urban development plan outlines how it could be achieved.
Despite initial concerns about the impact of COVID-19, Swire Shipping’s data shows only a marginal reduction in freight volumes. Alistair Skingley, the company’s Country Manager for Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, tells Business Advantage PNG that the company is upgrading its offerings in the expectation of solid growth in 2021.
The new Managing Director of Steamships Trading Company, Rupert Bray, says the company has ‘performed admirably’ during the COVID-19 crisis.
It is critical Papua New Guinea does not squander the opportunities provided by the Coral Sea Cable System, says the Chair of the Business Council of PNG’s Internet Working Group, Sundar Ramamurthy.
Connect PNG has a five-year plan to establish a single, unbroken highway network for Papua New Guinea. David Wereh, Secretary of the Department of Works and Implementation, takes Business Advantage PNG through the challenges.
Speaking at a Business Advantage PNG webinar, two of the region’s largest infrastructure investment funds – the Asian Development Bank and the new Australian Infrastructure Finance Facility for the Pacific – have announced major support for road and electricity projects in Papua New Guinea, with more to come.
The PNG Coastal Ship Owners Association has had a revamp and it has a new aim to make sure that this vital service gets the respect it deserves. New chairman of the association, James Midgley, talks to Business Advantage PNG.