Government to seek more revenue from fishing, three provinces to be granted autonomous status and the Government claims the right to acquire land for the Highlands Highway construction work. Your weekly digest of the latest business news.

Milne Bay Governor Sir John Luke Crittin, Works Minister Michael Nali and Deputy Prime Minister Charles Abel cut the ribbon marking the opening of the temporary Haumo Bridge in Alotau, Milne Bay. Source: The National

Deputy Prime Minister Charles Abel reportedly said the Government wants to see more revenue from fishing because the country owns 15 per cent of the world’s tuna fishery. Abel made the comment during the opening of the informal market at Alotau, which is funded by the National Fisheries Authority.

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The recent announcement from Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill, that three of PNG’s provinces are to be granted autonomous status, is being described as a political curve ball. The deal affects Enga, East New Britain, and New Ireland, where the long-serving governor and former prime minister, Sir Julius Chan, has reportedly described the government’s decision as one of the most gratifying moments of his political career.

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Works Minister, Michael Nali. Credit: Post-Courier

The government has the right to acquire land for public purposes and will not pay any compensation for construction work along the Highlands Highway, Works Minister Michael Nali reportedly said. He also urged the people living along the 40-metre corridor (20 metres on each side of the highway) to stay away, as it is State land.

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The 2018 AkzoNobel Taubmans design excellence awards, a biennial event for the architectural profession, was launched in Port Moresby last week. There was a call for entries in six award categories.

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Three top designers of the 2018 PNG Fashion Festival will travel to Sydney, Australia, in October to showcase their designs at the Pacific International Runway event. Australian Foreign Affairs and Trade department counsellor for economic governance Dr Chakriya Bowman said there is huge potential for PNG’s fashion industry to grow and thrive.

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The new gas power plant project located at the LNG site at Papa-Lealea outside Port Moresby is progressing, with almost 50 per cent of work completed by NiuPower Limited. Phase two of the project involves installing the six gas engines which can produce 10 megawatts of power each.

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The Ok Tedi mine. Credit: PNGSDP

Ok Tedi Mine is reportedly the first corporate entity to partner with the government to deliver the National Identification Card [NID] project. The signing took place in Tabubil, Western Province.

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Papua New Guinea’s Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato reportedly says he has reaffirmed his country’s support for Indonesian control of West Papua. It was one of the points of discussion in Pato’s meeting with his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi on Thursday in Jakarta.

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The PNG-Australia Transport Sector Support program is seeking the services of a highly qualified consultancy company to carry out the PNG Transport Sector funding study. Expressions of interest close on August 10. More details can be found on the website.

Photograph of the week

It’s 20 years since a horrific tsunami struck part of the PNG coast of West Sepik province, killing about 2200 people. The tsunami, with waves estimated as high as 14 metres washed across Sissano Lagoon, where most of the deaths occurred. Source: RNZI/Johnny Blades