The Community Affairs and National Content Conference and Exhibition (CANCONEX) has again affirmed its role as a key pillar in Papua New Guinea’s pursuit of inclusive and sustainable development—transforming dialogue into commitment and commitment into national action shaped by the resources sector.
In his closing address at CANCONEX 2025, held at APEC Haus from 28 to 31 July, Richard Kassman, senior vice president of the PNG Chamber of Resources and Energy (PNG CORE), underscored the growing national consensus around inclusive, community-centred development in the resources industry.
The event brought together more than 1,400 delegates, 78 exhibitors and 60 speakers, representing governments, landowner leaders, regulators, civil society organisations, developers and the wider business community.
Kassman described the conference as a “purposeful and dynamic” platform with strategic importance for PNG’s national development.
“This great turnout and the depth of discussion goes to show a growing, shared commitment to meaningful partnership, inclusive participation, focusing on sustained growth, particularly for the communities whose lives and futures are most directly linked to the resource sector,” he said.
Kassman emphasised that CANCONEX is not a side event but a central space in PNG CORE’s programme, where landowners, impacted communities and industry stakeholders engage directly in shaping policy and practice.
“Let’s take a moment to reflect on what CANCONEX really means. This is more than just a segment of PNG CORE’s annual event programme. It is, in every sense, a space designed to bring our most important voices, the voices of landowners, provincial governments and impacted communities, into the heart of the national development agenda with the industry as the key partner-driver,” he said.
He acknowledged the participation of the Autonomous Bougainville Government and stressed the importance of mutual respect and inclusivity in national unity and economic participation.
Highlighting personal stories shared during Resources Week, Kassman illustrated how national content policies translate into real outcomes. He cited the story of Terry Pandie, a janitor with Santos who, through the company’s education support programme, was able to send his daughter to university. He also shared the example of a multigenerational family connected to Trans Wonderland Limited.
“These stories are not isolated. They are the quiet, powerful legacy of a system that works. They are the real outcome of national content done right,” he said.
Companies such as KutMor Limited, Trans Wonderland Limited, PNG Mining and Petroleum Hospitality Services Ltd and Turra Holdings Limited were cited as examples of landowner businesses evolving into leaders and employers.
“More importantly, as Deloitte and PwC put it in today’s morning session: they are a family group business supporting families, clans and tribes as a social safety net,” he added.
Kassman also drew attention to PNG’s globally unique constitutional recognition of customary land ownership. “This is not a symbolic gesture. It is a living foundation that supports our communities and fuels our local economies,” he said.
He noted the long-term economic potential of the 2 percent development levy owed to landowners, estimating it could amount to billions of kina if invested wisely and transparently.
Six Strategic Takeaways, Three Urgent Priorities
Summarising the conference, Kassman outlined six strategic takeaways:
- Institutionalise frameworks like LOBID (Landowner Beneficiary Identification Database)
- Scale community-based enterprise models through public-private partnerships
- Improve transparency and accountability in managing development levies and benefits
- Strengthen workforce development, especially for women and youth
- Prioritise long-term employment strategies to support intergenerational stability
- Elevate CANCONEX as a central platform for shaping national content and community affairs
He also set out three immediate priorities for action: “First, we must continue to empower landowner-led enterprise development, giving communities the tools and trust they need to lead. Second, we must ensure transparent and inclusive distribution of resource benefits, so no one is left behind. And third, we must think long-term and build systems that enable intergenerational transformation in education, employment and community growth,” he said.
Kassman stressed that national content is not a formality, but a powerful lever for building local capacity and delivering dignity.
“Let us remind ourselves that national content is not a box-ticking exercise. It is the single most powerful lever we have to build local capacity, retain value onshore and deliver dignity to our people,” he said.
“In the end, that is our real prize. Not the gold, gas or copper beneath the ground—but what we do with it to uplift those who live on the land above it.”
He encouraged participants to carry the momentum forward into upcoming events.
“Together, these three platforms, CANCONEX, the Legacy Awards and the Resources Summit, create a powerful arc of vision, reflection and action. Let us use them wisely,” he said.
“Let us walk forward together guided by courage, conviction and a commitment to build a stronger Papua New Guinea for generations to come.”
