According to PNG Manufacturers Council chief executive officer Chey Scovell, businesses support the urgent need to stop the current spread of the Covid-19 but agree that a full-scale, literal lockdown isn't feasible in Papua New Guinea. When asked whether companies were preparing for a lockdown due to the increase in Covid-19 incidents, Scovell said ye...

Kina Bank has pledged support for the second consecutive year to the FODE education program administered by the Kokoda Track Foundation at the Motu Koita FODE centre in Port Moresby. The bank is funding the FODE program and providing mentoring by bank staff to students enrolled at the centre. The one-on-one mentoring program offers students the opport...

Bank South Pacific (BSP) is thinking of being listed on the Australian stock exchange (ASX). Sir Kostas Constantinou, chairman of the bank's board of directors, said the bank intended to call a special meeting of shareholders to seek approval for amendments to its constitution that would allow BSP to apply to join the ASX's official list. It would b...

  The Kina Asset Management Ltd (KAML) made a net profit of K3.32 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, thanks to a 6.2 per cent investment return. The achievement was made amid the Covid-19 pandemic and continuing geopolitical conflicts, according to KAML chairman Sir Rabbie Namaliu. Sir Rabbie praised KAML's investment strategy's divers...

Work on a K4 million solar project to cover all wards in the Duke of York Islands local level government (LLG), Kokopo, East New Britain (ENB), is set to start in June. This was announced by Francis Uratun, director of PNG Power Ltd (PPL), who recently travelled to the Duke of York Islands to finalize project documents for submission to AusAid. AusA...

In the Southern Highlands Province, K10 million has been set aside for agriculture growth.  Agriculture is the backbone of any economy, according to Southern Highlands agriculture advisor Kenneth Kuimp, so growing it in the province is a step in the right direction. He said that the province is embracing change and that agriculture is the driving force...

As a result of a high number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases recorded in the country, Papua New Guinea will be placed in a nationwide quarantine. This was revealed by Prime Minister James Marape at a press conference in Port Moresby. He stated that this would not be a "severe lockdown," and that companies and government would be able to function normal...

Nearly 5 years LTI free and with a record of continuously improving and fine tuning its safety systems, Pacific Towing (PacTow) recently passed its International Safety Management (ISM) Code audit.  The voluntary audit was conducted in accord with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the United Nations agency specialising in maritime and shippin...

Did you know that employee ‘money worries’ associated with poor financial wellbeing can negatively impact business profitability?  Financial literacy training is a relatively easy and cost-effective solution to improving employee financial wellbeing and thus mitigating the negative effects of ‘financially stressed’ staff.  Helping your employees access re...

The head of one of the Bougainville landowner groups impacted by the Panguna mine says it is up to the landowners to decide whether or not to reopen the mine. The Panguna Mine was at the heart of the ten-year Bougainville civil war, and it was forced to close in 1989 when it was PNG's largest export earner. But, thanks to Panguna Development Company...

According to the National Fisheries Authority, the government is on track to increase downstream processing of fisheries products to 50% by 2025. Papua New Guinea had already accomplished around 23% of the goal, according to Authority managing director John Kasu. “There are a number of (government) objectives such as downstream processing which we h...

The AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine has been given regulatory approval for use in Papua New Guinea. The government is planning for the vaccine rollout, aimed to launch by the end of April, as PNG struggles to control the spread of Covid-19. The PNG Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee reviewed the various Covid-19 vaccines produced, according to P...

The United Nations' theme for International Women's Day is "Women in Leadership: Creating an Inclusive Future in a Covid-19 World," a celebration of global progress toward equal representation of women in leadership roles. Women's leadership in the Pacific has focused on women's political participation, which is among the lowest in the world at just 7%...

The National Fisheries Authority seeks to develop infrastructure in order to grow PNG's fishing industry. According to NFA managing director John Kasu, the company has already submitted a 10-year strategic plan to the National Executive Council, which will be unveiled in April in Parliament to lay the groundwork for the fishing industry's future. “O...

In 2021, K92 Mining will invest K50 million in exploration. Exploration dollars are critical, according to John Lewins, chief executive officer and director of K92 Mine, because they extend the project if good prospects are discovered. The mine was re-commissioned in 2017 and announced commercial production at the start of 2018, according to Lewins....

Puma Energy PNG Ltd is concerned about a shortage of foreign currency (forex) to import crude oil in a timely manner, according to country manager and director Hulala Tokome. The business paid for its crude supplies when forex was available on the market, he said.  Tokome added that the availability of forex had influenced the crude oil purchase sch...

To collaborate in fisheries infrastructure development, the National Fisheries Authority (NFA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Korea Fisheries Infrastructure Public Agency of the Republic of Korea on Fisheries Ports Development. The MoU provides a framework for both these groups to facilitate the sharing of best practices and ex...

To set out how benefits from the PNG LNG project will be divided between two provincial governments, Papua New Guinea's Governors Hon. Philip Undialu (Hela province) and Hon. William Powi (Southern Highlands province) have recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement.  In 2009, benefits from the PNG LNG Project to the provincial government and landowners ...

By the end of the month, a technical team from the Papua New Guinea technical (PNG) Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) will soon be tabling an assessment on the details regarding the construction of the Wafi-Golpu Mining project to the mining advisory council (MAC) According to MRA managing director Jerry Garry, “Permitting of a special mining lease for...

The government has so far put in K19 million for cost support to cocoa. According to Agriculture and Livestock Minister John Simon, the high-quality cocoa needed to be produced for the price to stay at K3 per kg. He added that last year, it was K10million and this year, K9 million as an incentive to growers to increase production.  He said that what...

In support of the 2021 budgets and to boost the pandemic response, the government has secured a K1 billion loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica). The funds will be used to support regional health centres. Jica will disburse about K988 million to help the national budget with an interest rate of 0.1 per cent per annual and four-yea...

The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Livestock Development Corporation (LDC), ENB Provincial Government and the Rabaul District Investment Corporation Ltd at Kurakakaul has pledged the government K1 million towards setting up the Kurakakaul abattoir and ranch rehabilitation project in Rabaul, East New Britain. Agriculture and ...

The grants coursed through the Bougainville partnership commodity support facility will benefit cocoa farmers and women. An initiative of the Autonomous Bougainville Government supported by Australia through the PNG-Australia partnership, and the New Zealand government, the grants range between K300,000 and K500,000 benefitting.  Some of those selec...

The Singapore company exploring sand mining opportunities in Madang in Papua New Guinea has withdrawn its interests.  According to the Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) Jerry Garry, the company had told them of its intention to pull out.  “The (mining advisory) council has not deliberated on the withdrawal application,” he said. “As and when it’s re...