Photo: Mr. Chey Scovel from the Manufacturers Council of PNG speaking in front of the other panelists.
Panelists at the Third European-PNG Business, Trade and Investment Conference on the 10th of October, 2022 at Apec Haus Port Moresby, speaking on the topic of "Navigating the business environment - the impact of the regulatory framework for business, trade and investment," mainly expressed their desire for more improvements to the regulatory framework and regulations in PNG and for these to take place effectively and more efficiently.
Mr. Peter Burnie, Partner for Price Waterhouse Coopers, said stakeholder engagement was "difficult" amid implementation of conflicting laws and priorities to set up business in Papua New Guinea.
The same sentiment was also shared by Mr. Chey Scovel, from the Manufacturers Council of PNG. He emphasized the aspect of delivering policies from the government.
He noted that its target "should be met, and there should be accountability if nothing has been achieved in terms of meeting key policies and its deliverable targets that will create opportunities for the country," adding that and at the moment "this is currently stagnant."
An example, Mr. Scovel noted, is the inbound calls when calling from Australia to Papua New Guinea. "It is quite expensive compared to other countries, which is cheaper in comparison to Papua New Guinea. That is a regulatory problem and needs to be looked at, especially with the National information Communication Technology Authority (NICTA) and its other regulatory organizations," he said.
Mr. Collin Stone, the CEO of Digicel PNG Limited, said there needs to be a good regulatory system in place in Papua New Guinea that is "stable, equitable, fearful and independent."
"One of the impeding factors in PNG is engagement and dialogue between different regulatory bodies operating individually, and there's no communication between themselves, there need to be more consultation between government and private sector," he added.
Mr. Kamis Yalakun, the Manager for Investment Promotion Authority, spoke on the roles of IPA and how they are currently working with the European Union to establish business development within Papua New Guinea.
The last speaker, Mr. Nelson Kapo from PNG Customs Services, gave a brief view on how the regulatory organization operates in Papua New Guinea. He emphasized that the PNG Customs Services welcome investors in the country to operate in a more flexible role, and said there are areas as a country for them to work in collaboration with stakeholders to welcome effective development.
The theme of the conference is "Strengthening sustainable business, trade and investment ties between the EU, PNG and the Pacific".
