With its majority established in Parliament and its ministry appointed, Papua New Guinea’s Marape government is now getting back to the business of running the country. Key business leaders tell Business Advantage PNG what they think its priorities should be.
John Byrne, President of the Lae Chamber of Commerce, tells Business Advantage PNG that, although there is an underlying level of confidence in PNG’s second city, infrastructure projects and investment are urgently needed.
Papua New Guinea’s government is coming under intense pressure to renegotiate the Special Mining Lease for the Porgera gold mine, which it refused to extend in April. Multiple industry bodies have urged the government to urgently negotiate with the mine’s joint venture operators, Barrick Gold and Zijin Mining, pointing to extreme economic stress.
As the government seeks to start disbursing the funds raised by its COVID-19 bond, the presidents of Papua New Guinea’s two largest business chambers tell Business Advantage PNG they are looking for a stimulus package ‘with teeth’.
The presidents of Papua New Guinea’s two largest business chambers, in Port Moresby and Lae, outline the difficulty for business of life under lockdown, but also point to how PNG’s economy can bounce back from the current crisis.
After the coronavirus (COVID-19) arrived in Papua New Guinea this weekend, Prime Minister James Marape acted swiftly to shut the country down for 14 days – but what does that mean in practice?
With the first case of COVID-19 in PNG announced at the weekend, there are warnings there could be essential-item shortages and changed working conditions, but business has been preparing for its arrival.
The year 2020 looks like being a watershed year for Papua New Guinea, with a number of transformative projects awaiting the green light and a new government seeking to implement an ambitious agenda.
Papua New Guinea’s industrial hub has a lot going for it as it enters the new year, says a quietly confident President of the Lae Chamber of Commerce and Industry, John Byrne.
Marisa Howden provides an insider’s guide to Lae, PNG’s industrial capital and second-largest city.