PNG Resources Week a Success, Stresses Local Engagement, Career Opportunities; Smare: Event ‘A Great Pathway’

By: Roselyn Erehe July 08, 2024

Hon. James Marape at Hilton giving his keynote speech during the Closing Gala Dinner for the 2024 PNG RESOURCES WEEK. Port Moresby.

The inaugural Papua New Guinea (PNG) Resources Week, featuring the PNG Core Expo and Canconexx, concluded on a high note at the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) and The Resources Summit Dinner hosted at Hilton Hotel on July 4th.

Aimed at fostering greater local engagement in the country’s resource sector, the event saw a good turnout of delegates, investors, stakeholders, and local businesses.

The week presented a diverse array of exhibitors across four categories: Principal, Platinum, Standard, and Economy. Industry giants such as Santos, Newmont, and Huawei displayed alongside local entities like PNG Business News and community-focused organizations such as St John Ambulance and Community Education Services and service providers from both the public and private sectors.

Wednesday and Thursday (July 3 and 4) featured a Career Fair, where universities and technical colleges explored booths set up by various corporates, businesses, and organisations especially from the mining and resources sectors, including:

University of Papua New Guinea
Pacific Adventist University
Divine Word University (Port Moresby Campus)
Institute of Business Studies
Don Bosco Technological Institute
Other business and technical schools.

The University of Technology was the only National University that had an information booth.

President of PNG CORE Anthony Smare told PNG Business News and UNITECH: "You pick more pathways for students. The only way that you can be a bridge is to actively go out and participate when you see there's a big gathering or convening of the business community, but also multinational-type community events like this one."

The Career Fair also facilitated interactions between universities, technical colleges, and corporate entities from the mining and resources sectors.

"The more that you engage, not just having your stall, but also speaking at conferences and talking about your needs and your issues... It's really important to be effective," remarked Mr. Smare.

The event also included the CANCONEX 2024, focused on community affairs and national content, reinforcing the role of local stakeholders in the resource sector's development.

The initiative aimed to enhance collaboration between industry players and local communities, promoting sustainable growth and resource governance.

A key highlight was the PNG Resource Summit at the Hilton Hotel, featuring a keynote address by Prime Minister James Marape at the closing gala dinner in Port Moresby on the evening of Thursday, July 4.

The summit provided a platform to discuss outlooks and strategies for PNG's resource sector, which accounts for a significant portion of the country's annual exports.

Marape’s Keynote

In an official media release, PM Marape congratulated PNG CORE on successfully hosting “a resource week' that saw stakeholders in the mining and petroleum sectors meet to discuss industry matters.”

He commended PNG CORE for bringing together resource stakeholders to meet and talk, as he reminded the companies to become more inclusive of landowners in business spin-offs.

Pointing out the Hilton Hotel, where the dinner was being held, as an example of landowner entrepreneurship, the Prime Minister said developers need not look far.

“If you doubt the ability of landowners, we sit in a hotel that is landowner-owned. In 2008, the Consortium that owns this, they come under the management of MRDC, their balance sheet was K300 million. Today, their balance sheet is K7 billion.

“That indicates one thing, that landowner companies in the country are growing capacities that are adequate to fill in the gaps of service providers. And so we want to migrate past catering provision and security provision to the highest we could participate in for resources and resource harvesting.”

Prime Minister Marape said people on whose land developers do business -- including the Motu Koitabu in the city – must be acknowledged and opportunities given to them to participate in spin-off businesses.

He once more reminded the companies of the pain of Panguna, which arose because landowner’s needs were not respected.

"No amount of razor wire can stop the people from fighting for their rights if you do not give them what their rightful entitlements are," he said.

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