Investment Conference comes at pivotal moment for Papua New Guinea’s economy

With less than three weeks until the annual Business Advantage PNG Investment Conference in Brisbane (10–11 August), this year’s event comes at a pivotal moment for Papua New Guinea’s economy. 

The Development Forum for the TotalEnergies-led Papua LNG project commenced in Port Moresby this July, providing hope to the local business community that the US$14 billion+ project will finally reach its crucial final investment decision milestone later this year.  

In further good news, the World Bank has estimated that the PNG economy grew by a robust 5.6 per cent in 2025. Growth is expected to moderate slightly this year, but the broader trajectory remains positive. 

Meanwhile, the overwhelmingly positive impact of the Starlink rollout – particularly in remote areas – has emerged as a theme of the recent CEO interviews our editorial team have been conducting for our annual Mining & Energy magazine.

As we reported late last year, the long-standing shortage of foreign exchange that has burdened PNG businesses for more than a decade has eased significantly – a development the IMF also noted last month.

Some headwinds remain, however. The ongoing Middle East conflict has delivered an unwelcome shock to government finances, prompting a K1 billion fuel stabilisation program. And ‘unreliable utilities’ – which topped this year’s PNG 100 CEO Survey as the single biggest impediment to doing business – appears, if anything, to have worsened in recent months.

Program highlights

These are some of the topics that will be covered off on Day One of the PNG Investment Conference (10 August) by an all-star panel on local business conditions, comprising of Chris Daniells (CEO, Steamships Trading Company), Andrew Betteridge (Country Manager – Papua New Guinea, ANZ) and the recently appointed CEO of Nambawan Super, Lachlan Baird.

Dr Brendan Rynne, Chief Economist at KPMG Australia, will provide delegates with a high-level economic update on Papua New Guinea’s outlook in a global context.

The conference will also discuss emerging trends and opportunities in PNG, including green finance, real estate and business services. Confirmed expert speakers in these sessions will include Elizabeth Genia (Governor, Bank of PNG), Eric Kramer (acting Chief Investment Officer, Nasfund), Mary Johns (CEO, Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce & Industry) and Vignesh Kumar, a financier with a PNG connection who is now based in New Zealand.

Day Two will focus on natural resources and infrastructure, with presentations from the heads of some of PNG’s key state-owned enterprises, including Sarimu Kanu, Managing Director of Kumul Minerals Holdings, as well as high-level representatives from the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.  

ANZ Bank’s Senior Commodity Strategist Daniel Hynes will also brief delegates on the outlook for global energy markets and how PNG is likely to be impacted. 

PNG’s flourishing business relationship with neighbouring Fiji and the Solomon Islands will also feature in a bonus session that includes Craig Strong, Chief Investment Officer at one of Fiji’s largest domestic investors, BSP Life.

Finally, the issue of improving productivity in PNG will be centre stage on the opening morning, with international Future of Work expert Dr Ben Hamer delivering a special keynote address: “AI, productivity and the future of work: what every business leader needs to know”. 

“We’ve aimed to curate a program that will be engaging and informative both for established PNG-focused executives and also those businesspeople taking a closer look at the Pacific’s largest economy for the first time,” says Andrew Wilkins, Publishing Director at conference host, Business Advantage International. “PNG is on the cusp of a decade of opportunity, and the conference – now in its 14th year – is where key conversations take place.” 

The event takes place at the Brisbane Convention Centre on 10-11 August. For full details and registration visit: www.pnginvestmentconference.com