The availability of foreign currency is crucial for promoting trade and enabling companies to continue importing goods for consumer consumption. It's also essential for investors to know that returns on capital investments can be repatriated if and when enough foreign currency is available in the country, according to Bank South Pacific CEO Robin Flemi...

The Australian Government's ban on incoming and outgoing travel between the neighbouring countries is expected to have no effect on Newcrest Mining's Lihir gold activity in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The Lihir operation is undergoing a scheduled maintenance shutdown and is steadily resuming operations. Newcrest stated that it was working closely with t...

COVID-19 has forced Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML) to pause operations in order to protect its employees, communities, and operations. Due to a recent increase in COVID-19 cases at the mine site and in Papua New Guinea, OTML will temporarily pause operations on Friday, March 19th for 14 days to prevent further virus transmission within its operations. ...

PNG Biomass is Oil Search’s renewable energy and sustainable tree farming business. The project is still subject to a final investment decision by Oil Search, now planned to take place in the second half of the year. The formal ‘go-ahead' has been postponed several times due to a lengthy process with the PNG government to fulfil their promises to move ...

After reporting a Core Operating Profit of K25.66 million for the 2020 financial year, Credit Corporation PNG has posted a net profit of K22 million. Credit Corporation CEO Peter Aitsi released the 2020 results, saying it represents the complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic during the year, as well as the group's determination to actively support PNG's...

According to the National Research Institute, given Bougainville's position within the Pacific Rim of Fire, the possibilities for mining various minerals, especially gold and copper, are vast (NRI). Following the collapse of the Panguna mine, NRI noted in a recent report on Bougainville that regaining foreign investor trust in mining in Bougainville wa...

According to a study by the National Research Institute (NRI), the investments needed to increase the tax base for the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) require significant upfront investments. The report said that increasing revenues for the Bougainville Government, public expenditures also necessitate capacity to prepare, budget, execute, and ...

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...