The Papua New Guinea economy is not likely to improve greatly in the first half of the year, says Alan McLay, President of the Lae Chamber of Commerce. But he believes companies in Lae – PNG’s manufacturing and logistics hub – remain hopeful of an upturn and he expects some positive developments with power provision.
As Papua New Guinea business gets back to work, Business Advantage PNG looks at some of the issues coming up in 2017. It looks likely to be a year of preparing for better times.
Conglomerates have become rare in developed economies; the strategy of diversifying across different industry sectors tends to be punished by investors who prefer specialized players. But in Papua New Guinea industry diversification is commonly used as a way to grow.
The Minister for Mining, Byron Chan, says that the amendments to Papua New Guinea’s Mining Act are ‘complete’. But he tells Business Advantage PNG that there are some contentious issues.
National airline Air Niugini is set to commence bi-weekly flights to Townsville in the Australian state of Queensland from March 2017. The move strengthens Port Moresby’s Jacksons International Airport status as a regional aviation hub.
Sovereign wealth funds, private equity and ‘mega-families’ are showing a growing interest in investing in large resource projects, according to Graham Smith, Global Leader Mining M&A at KPMG Corporate Finance in Australia. The PNG Mining and Petroleum Investment conference was told that investment, debt and equity markets are showing signs of improvement.
The Wafi-Golpu project can be ‘multi-generational’ according to Bryan Bailie, Executive Project Director of the Wafi-Golpu Joint Venture. He told the PNG Mineral and Petroleum Investment Conference in Sydney that the intention is to roll out the project in stages.
PanAust is keen to start development of the Frieda River copper gold project, Managing Director Fred Hess told the PNG Mining and Petroleum Investment Conference in Sydney. But he warns there are many obstacles to establishing a mine in such a remote region of Papua New Guinea and the decision has not yet been made to go ahead.
Boosting data speeds and widening broadband coverage are the aims of Digicel’s incoming Chief Executive Officer, Brett Goschen. He told Business Advantage PNG he will be drawing on his experiences in Africa to help transform the telecommunications landscape in Papua New Guinea.
The Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill, has told the Mining and Petroleum Investment Conference in Sydney that there will be no decision on the Mining Act until after next election. He also indicated that the Government will pursue bi-lateral trade deals.