Ahead of the 9th Pacific Tuna Forum (PTF 2025) in Fiji, Papua New Guinea’s National Fisheries Authority (NFA) and Special Economic Zones Authority (SEZA) are positioning the country as a regional leader in value-added processing, sustainable trade, and blue economy development.
The forum, scheduled for October 14–15 in Nadi, Fiji, will bring together policymakers, industry leaders, and development partners under the theme “Pacific Tuna 2050: Resilience, Innovation, Equity, and Sustainable Trade for a Prosperous Future.”
Papua New Guinea is expacted to play a prominent role at the event, with the NFA co-hosting the forum alongside Fiji’s Ministry of Fisheries. This year’s edition is expected to highlight opportunities for downstream processing, regional cooperation, and sustainable management of tuna resources, key priorities for PNG’s fisheries sector.
NFA and SEZA Partnership Signals Strong State Collaboration
The forum follows a significant partnership forged earlier in October, when SEZA came on board as a Platinum Sponsor for PTF 2025 with a K100,000 sponsorship, signaling stronger collaboration between key state agencies to support investment and industry growth.
NFA Acting Managing Director Leban Gisawa said the partnership reflects the government’s broader push toward a whole-of-government approach to maximize the value of PNG’s tuna resources.
“The National Fisheries Authority welcomes the support of the Special Economic Zones Authority as a Platinum Sponsor of the upcoming 9th Pacific Tuna Forum,” Gisawa said. “This signifies the importance of key agencies of State working together to achieve the Government’s objectives and contributing to the economic development of this great country.”
Gisawa said the NFA has been implementing major structural and legislative reforms to strengthen the management of fisheries and promote value-adding within PNG.
He emphasized that partnerships like the one with SEZA are critical for transforming PNG’s abundant marine resources into downstream processing opportunities that create jobs and revenue.
“For PNG, it is clear that a whole-of-government approach is required to increase the retention of the value of our tuna catches,” he said. “The NFA looks forward to SEZA’s leadership in developing Special Economic Zones for the fisheries sector.”
Expectations for the Pacific Tuna Forum
The 9th Pacific Tuna Forum is expected to serve as a platform for regional collaboration and innovation in the tuna industry, with PNG aiming to position itself as the Pacific’s preferred tuna processing hub.
Gisawa noted that the Pacific region, which supplies around 50 percent of the world’s tuna, continues to push for greater value retention within local economies. He said discussions at the forum would be vital in advancing this shared vision.
He also pointed to the importance of international trade partnerships, particularly with the European Union (EU), which gives PNG’s tuna products quota-free and duty-free access under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).
“In practice, our tuna processors compete with those in China, Ecuador, the Philippines, and Thailand,” he said. “We look forward to SEZA’s leadership in driving the tuna industry to achieve economies of scale and competitiveness in the global tuna market.”
SEZA Eyes Onshore Processing and Job Creation
From SEZA’s perspective, the forum offers a critical opportunity to advance discussions on onshore processing and industrial development in PNG’s fisheries sector.
SEZA Board Chairman Dr. Lawrence Sause said the country has enormous potential that remains underutilized, noting that PNG accounts for about 18 percent of the world’s tuna catch and controls around 15 percent of the global tuna trade, valued between US$4 billion and US$5 billion.
"Although PNG catches between 600,000–700,000 metric tons of fish every year, 80 percent leaves the country to be processed offshore,” Dr. Sause said. “It is ridiculous that we export 35,000 tons of canned tuna and import 40,000 tons. We are losing up to 100,000 jobs and over K4 billion in revenue by not processing all our fish in PNG.”
He said SEZA will work closely with the NFA to reverse this trend by supporting the Domestication Policy and developing fisheries-focused Special Economic Zones.
“We look forward to the NFA bringing forward and implementing the Domestication Policy so we can process 100 percent of our catch in PNG,” Dr. Sause said.
For his part, SEZA Acting CEO Mr. Kikila Yawase reaffirmed the Authority’s commitment to downstream processing and local value addition.
“SEZA is proud to support the 9th Pacific Tuna Forum because of its focus on onshore processing and value-added strategies,” he said. “We look forward to partnering with the NFA to unlock the immense potential we have in the fisheries sector for downstream processing.”
MGisawa said the NFA is optimistic that SEZA’s participation in the upcoming forum will help strengthen PNG’s leadership role in the Pacific’s fisheries sector.
"The NFA values its partnership with SEZA and looks forward to SEZA’s participation at the 9th Pacific Tuna Forum, which will strengthen PNG’s position as the region’s preferred tuna processing hub,” he said.
