Papua New Guinea’s APEC 2018 Coordination Authority is on track to deliver its budget for the 2018 event later this year, with interim CEO Christopher Hawkins saying it will highlight the opportunities the business sector can capitalise on. Businesses throughout Port Moresby can expect to find a wide range of opportunities in the lead-up to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ summit over the next three years, according to the PNG APEC 2018 Coordination Authority.

Asian Development Bank analysis shows just how vulnerable Pacific nations are to natural disasters, but what can be done to better manage the risk? Wayne Dorgan from leading Papua New Guinea insurer Pacific MMI calls on disaster co-ordinators in the region to consult more closely with the insurance industry. The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) July Pacific Economic Monitor highlights the Pacific region’s vulnerability to natural disasters, pointing out that initial estimates of Cyclone Pam’s impact

ANZ’s timely discussion paper, Powering PNG into the Asian Century, argues for further reform in Papua New Guinea’s electricity sector and a greater reliance on newer, cleaner energy technologies. Powering PNG into the Asian Century follows on from Bold Thinking, a 2013 PNG-focused report also compiled for ANZ by research firm Port Jackson Partners. This new report addresses an area of infrastructure which is widely viewed as critical for PNG’s future growth: energy, and more

Sustainability and value-adding are repeatedly stated as the goals for Papua New Guinea’s forestry sector. Ian Neubauer visits Bulolo in Morobe Province, an old gold-mining town that has re-invented itself with a sustainable timber industry. In 1932, the Bulolo Gold Dredging Company airlifted a 110- tonne dredge piece by piece from the port city of Lae to the Bulolo River Valley. The largest single part, the main tumbler shaft, was four-metres long and weighed more

The El Nino weather pattern which has seen the temporary closure of the Ok Tedi mine could potentially last for up to a year, according to former senior PNG agriculture business executive, Bob Hansen, adding the loss of mining income could be as much as K2.77 billion a year. Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML) has announced that it has closed the gold and copper mine in Western Province, as a result of low water levels

Two new milestones on the way to boosting electricity access to 70 per cent of Papua New Guineans households are due this month. Business Advantage PNG speaks with Roberto Aiello, Senior Energy Specialist with the World Bank, which is supporting the PNG government with its energy development plans. Under the PNG government’s Vision 2050 Development Strategic Plan, the government wants to increase electricity access from the current 13% to 70% of households by 2030. According

New and emerging technologies have the potential to radically transform business operations, driving e-commerce, cloud computing and efficiencies in supply chains and manufacturing. Business Advantage PNG asks some technology experts how some of these technologies are and will be deployed in Papua New Guinea. E-commerce, mobile technologies, cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IOT) are increasingly topics not just for first world economies but for developing economies such as Papua New Guinea. ‘Not only

Click here for our latest newsletter, issued 10th July 2015.

Exports from Papua New Guinea rose 64 per cent in value during 2014 to K21,903.6 million, largely due to the start of LNG production, according to the Bank of Papua New Guinea. In its March Quarterly Update, which aggregates the four quarters of the 2014 fiscal year, the bank reports the total value of exports rose from K13,337.3 million in 2013, to K21,903.6 million. An analysis of the figures reveals most of the increase has

For the last 18 months, leading Lae manufacturer K K Kingston has been consolidating and restructuring. Chief Executive Officer Michael Kingston talks to Business Advantage PNG about the company’s strategy, his optimism for the future, and the issues facing businesses in Papua New Guinea. Business Advantage PNG (BAPNG): What are the key challenges facing K K Kingston in 2015/2016? Michael Kingston (MK): We’re probably facing the same challenges that all businesses in PNG are facing.

Click here for this week’s newsletter, issued 26th June 2015.

Papua New Guinean tourism operators flew the flag in Australia last weekend at the South Pacific Tourism Exchange at Melbourne’s Convention and Exhibition Centre. Robert Upe reports visitor arrivals are expected to rise, due in part to cruise ships improving tourists’ perceptions of PNG. The South Pacific Tourism Exchange is the region’s largest travel and tourism business-to-business event, offering a program of meetings and events between tourism operators and the travel agencies that sell their