Weary business travellers will be delighted to discover facilities at Port Moresby’s Jacksons International Airport have received quite an upgrade recently, and none more so than Air Niugini’s new-look Paradise Lounge. Business Advantage PNG takes a look.
For the last 18 months, leading Lae manufacturer K K Kingston has been consolidating and restructuring. CEO Michael Kingston talks to Business Advantage PNG about the company’s strategy, his optimism for the future, and the issues facing businesses in Papua New Guinea.
Travel times to medical centres in remote parts of Papua New Guinea have been cut from three weeks to as little as three hours as a result of health initiatives introduced by Digicel’s PNG Foundation. Business Advantage PNG spoke to Foundation CEO Beatrice Mahuru to find out how this has been achieved.
Ordinary Papua New Guineans will be able to apply to purchase at least some of 97 million shares in PNG-based financial services company Kina Securities. The company has just launched its prospectus, ahead of an expected listing on both the Port Moresby and Australian stock exchanges on 30 July.
Papua New Guinean tourism operators flew the flag in Australia last weekend at the South Pacific Tourism Exchange at Melbourne’s Convention and Exhibition Centre. Robert Upe reports visitor arrivals are expected to rise, due in part to cruise ships improving tourists’ perceptions of PNG.
For the last six years, officials from 14 member countries of the Pacific Islands Forum have been negotiating with Australia and New Zealand to set up a free trade agreement, known as PACER-Plus. The Pacific’s Chief Trade Adviser on PACER-Plus is Ghanian-born Australian, Dr Edwini Kessie, who tells Business Advantage PNG that labour mobility and the future of development assistance are two key stumbling blocks.
An analysis of foreign workers coming to Papua New Guinea since 2000 indicates a chronic lack of skilled tradespeople, according to Lae-based business leaders. While skills training initiatives are under way, an expected surge in mining projects over the next few years highlights the urgency for more skilled workers.
Papua New Guinea’s Kina Group aims to list on the Australian Stock Exchange in late July—arguably the first PNG company to undertake such a move. Business Advantage PNG talks to Chief Executive Officer, Syd Yates, about what he sees as a ‘great opportunity’ for PNG.
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill says a planned ‘shake up’ of the Port Moresby Stock Exchange (POMSoX) will lead to more innovation and increased domestic and international investment.
Despite some positive developments for the mining sector in Papua New Guinea, the industry continues to face funding challenges for critical exploration activity, the PNG Chamber of Mines and Petroleum’s Greg Anderson tells Business Advantage PNG.