Interviews

Cross-industry collaboration and help from the Papua New Guinea government are required to get the most out of the gas in Western Province, David Lester, Chief Office Representative for Repsol PNG tells Business Advantage PNG.

The long-awaited Pacer-Plus Pacific trade agreement is expected to be signed in early June, after the 14 Pacific countries concluded their talks in Brisbane last week. But Papua New Guinea and Fiji have said they will not participate. Business Advantage PNG asked World Trade Organisation negotiator, Edwini Kessie, what PNG is missing out on.

With the Papua New Guinean Government remaining tight-lipped on progression of its proposed rice policy, Trukai Industries is going ahead with the expansion of its rice business, Chief Executive Officer Greg Worthington-Eyre tells Business Advantage PNG.

Zarak Khan is Fiji’s Consul General and Trade Commissioner at the Fiji Consulate and Trade Commission in Sydney. He tells Business Advantage PNG that Fiji is looking to diversify its industry base.

James Lau, Managing Director of Rimbunan Hijau Group tells Business Advantage PNG that he sees positive developments with hotels, agriculture, gold and the country’s preparations for the 2018 APEC meeting. But he says continuing weakness in commodity prices will limit Papua New Guinea’s growth in the short to medium-term.

In Papua New Guinea you are ‘only as good as your last implementation’ says Steve Hillyard, General Manager in PNG for Pronto Software. He tells Business Advantage PNG that networking and creating positive ‘word of mouth’ are crucial for success in PNG’s ICT market.

Many business have reported the current business climate in PNG as ‘quiet’, with some saying income is down about 20 per cent. How has CPL fared? Business Advantage PNG talks to CEO, Ravi Singh.

Peter Botten, Managing Director of Oil Search tells Business Advantage PNG that the company’s Papua New Guinea assets are ‘highly profitable’ despite the low prices. He says the company is focusing on developing a five year plan for ensuring sustainability, managing exploration and working with the community.

Papua New Guinea’s state petroleum company, Kumul Petroleum, sees its role in developing oil and gas projects in partnership with developers, according to Managing Director, Wapu Sonk. He tells Business Advantage PNG there is enough gas in the country for no less than five LNG trains.

In the second of a two-part series, Steamships Managing Director Peter Langslow tells Business Advantage PNG that his diversified company is looking to upgrade its manufacturing activities, upgrade more hotels and is planning more property development in Papua New Guinea.