New Ireland Governor Sir Julius Chan has expressed sadness at the passing of Wewak Open MP, Kevin Isifu. Sir J said the late Kevin Eziro Isifu, was a strong People’s Progress Party politician for many years and a personal friend. “As the Minister for Inter-Government Relations, the late Kevin Isifu pushed through my agenda for Greater Autonomy among the Governors and the forerunner platform, the Service Delivery Partnership Agreement,” said Sir J. He said, “Through his work, the People’s Progress Party made strong impressions which led to the decision to empower three provinces, Enga, East New Britain and New Ireland to pioneer Autonomous Government Arrangement.” Late Kevin Isifu later joined another political party before the 2022 NGE but Sir J said they shared several hours of private discussions thereafter. To the wife and family of the late Kevin Isifu Sir J relayed,..“I am saddened that I cannot offer words of comfort to you and family at his passing. But God has a reason for everything and I hope you will find peace in the knowledge that your husband and father served his Province and Country well as a faithful PPP advocate on balanced development and autonomy.”

The Voice Inc (TVI), a civil society organization dedicated to empowering citizens to build a sustainable future, has commenced the Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) Online Action-Learning Program with 30 of its Coalition Members and Partners from around the country to build local leadership and collective action for change. The PDIA Program is offered by the Building State Capability at the Center for International Development at Harvard University. The program will run for a total of 12 weeks and has started with a 2-day introductory session at the Hilton Port Moresby which will allow all who are involved to meet one another and go through their first online session with the Building State Capability Team. All partners whom are participating in the PDIA Program work in the spaces of Sorcery Accusation Related Violence, Education, Higher Education, Decentralization and Youth Employment. TVI has taken this step to ensure that through its partners and extensive network, policy reforms and action can be taken within these priority areas. Speaking at the launch of the 2-day session, Executive Director of TVI, Maliwai Sasingian, stated that the organization is thrilled to be able to provide such an enriching opportunity to its partners and looks forward to seeing how best TVI can support the work that partners take on as a result of their participation in the PDIA program. “We thank all our partners for accepting our invitation to participate in this program and ultimately joining TVI in our journey to address key issues within Papua New Guinea. The network that this program will create is invaluable and one which we will continue to strengthen. We are grateful to the Australian Government for their generous support and funding for this program”. The PDIA program is made possible through the Local Leadership and Collective Action Program (LLCAP) of the Voice Inc. The participants departed for their respective provinces on Friday 9th of September and will continue their interaction online until December of 2022.

BSP Finance PNG, an Asset Finance Specialist and a subsidiary of the BSP Group of Companies with the help of a contractor gave an overhaul to the building by replacing the entire roofing iron including ceilings, fly-wires and electrical wiring. Chief Inspector & Manager Operations Dimon Gah said, “With the refurbishment of this building, it will very much ensure a safe, secure and humane facility that will now provide a good healthcare and effective rehabilitation to the 800 detainees we currently have, whenever they need it.” “More importantly, the boost on the facility will encourage Correctional Officers to serve with pride under a more conducive environment for the rehabilitation process of the prisoners and helps them conduct positive daily activities.” BSP Group CEO Robin Fleming when handing over the project said, “It’s a privilege to stand here every time and handover projects like this, but it’s our staff commitments that makes a difference in improving the welfare of our local communities through interventions in education, environment and health.” “As a part of the communities we live in, we would like to build these relationships and strengthen our community involvement. BSP Community Project initiatives provide an avenue for each of our branch staff to contribute to make a difference. This is not only in PNG but also in other Pacific Countries we operate in,” said Fleming. BSP Finance General Manager Andy Roberts also thanked the Bomana Correctional Commanders and Officers for allowing the BSP Finance team to carry out work needed to improve the building facilities, reaffirming that, “Everyone has a right to good health and welfare and these 800 detainees here at Bomana deserve the same.” Meanwhile, BSP Vanimo also handed over a completed Water tank installation project at Lujan Home for Girls in Vanimo East Tower, West Sepik Province. Lujan Home for Girls is a refuge home in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea run by the SSVM Sisters. They take care of girls ranging from 2 years old to 25 years old. The Vanimo branch team delivered four new water tanks which include one 9,000 litres and three 5,000 litres with main fittings of the storage water pump fully installed. This year, BSP has selected 49 projects as part of its 2022 Community Project initiative, all coordinated and organised by the bank’s different branches, departments, units, subsidiaries and the countries BSP operates in.

On behalf of the senior officers and the members of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, we wish the people of Papua New Guinea a Happy 47th Independence Anniversary. This day not only marks a time for celebrating our nationhood, but marks another milestone for our young nation. We have just completed the 2022 National General Election and the 11th National Parliament has once again given the mandate to Prime Minister James Marape to lead our nation. In the biblical context, we have been wondering in the wilderness for the last 47 years. The Moses Generation has come to an end. We are now in the Joshua Generation and the young leadership of toady will take us into the future and the promised land of “milk and honey”. So it is with sincerity that I call upon all Papua New Guineans, wherever you are and in whatever position of responsibility, to come together, join hands, and move our country forward into peace and prosperity. The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary has been an integral part of PNG from the beginning. We helped in the creation of PNG. We took the first steps with PNG and remain committed to a free and secure Papua New Guinea.

As part of continually improving accessibility and services to its members, the National Superannuation Fund, Nasfund, has opened its second Client Service Centre in Lae, Morobe Province. Located on Malekula Street, this centre provides easy access for members within Lae city’s main market and surrounding areas – which includes our members in the Finance & Banking, Manufacturing & Construction, Tourism & Hospitality, Retail, and MSME sectors. Job Inimup, a Nasfund member for over 20 years, employed by Markharm Culverts, was given the honor of opening the new service centre, to signal the start of operations. The occasion was witnessed by Nasfund Chief Executive Officer Ian Tarutia. Mr. Iminup thanked the Fund for opening this new facility. “With the service centre now located in the busy market area, those of us who work within the market area don’t have to go far to access Nasfund services. Thank you Nasfund.” CEO Tarutia said it is a welcome addition, as the fund ramps up its services to members in this part of the country, especially as the province looks set to meet the demands of increasing business activities and economic opportunities on the back of the Wafi Golpu Mine. “We are pleased to add the second Lae Service Centre to our Nasfund branch network. oreso, as Lae and Morobe Province as a whole is the second largest membership base of the Fund. Morobe Province accounts for over 111,000 Nasfund members from across 300 employers, which constitutes approximately 18% of the Fund’s total membership – a good number of whom work within this busy industrial area. We are confident that our membership within the busy Lae market area and surrounding industrial precinct will take ownership of this Service Centre, and utilize the services offered here. The opening of this centre is part of efforts to improve our service to members, all across the country. In the coming weeks, we will also be opening our new and improved service centres in Milne Bay Province, as well as two additional service centres in NCD. Whilst we open this Service Centre, we also encourage our members to utilize our on line electronic channels, which includes our Call Centre, Member Online Portal, the Mobile Phone App, or Mobile SMS facilities.

The New Ireland Government will be hosting the countries 47th Independence Celebrations on the West Coast of New Ireland, Lasiliba this Friday 16th September. It will be a privilege and an honour for the people of New Ireland and West coast to spend Independence day with one of our country’s remaining founding Fathers, Last Man Standing and Governor of New Ireland, Sir Julius Chan. On the occasion Sir J will also officially open the first 500 meters of sealed West Coast Highway to kick start the first phase of 5km of the road sealing. The West coast is a total of 190 kilometers of road, the majority of which Governor Sir Julius Chans intends to seal in this term of office. The West Coast Highway project is the biggest project ever undertaken by any Government in New Ireland. Activities for the day will include announcement of 2022 Village Beautification Awards, LLG Sports Awards presentations entertainment by Choirs, Singsing groups and String Bands.  

Recent times have been tough for humanity, the world has been in a turbulent state, facing multiple crisis’s that require complex solutions, people all over the globe are overwhelmed by unrest, fronting illness, conflict, and disaster. A shift of direction is crucial, to avoid further deprivations and injustices, warns the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The newly launched 2021/22 Human Development Report (HDR) by UNDP, spotlights the continuous uncertainty that affects us in unprecedented ways, and argues that in the end, working towards shared goals and doubling down on human development are critical to creating a future in which we can all thrive, however uncertain. UNDP Papua New Guinea Country Office held a media briefing on the launch of the 2021/22 HDR, “Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping our Future in a Transforming World” on 13 September 2022. The report canulates the Human Development Index (HDI) for 191 countries and territories, including Papua New Guinea as well as other indices such as the Gender Inequality Index. The HDI a composite index looking at a nation’s human development, considering health, education, and per capita income, i.e. measuring three key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable and have a decent standard of living. For the first time in the 32 years that UNDP have been calculating it, the Human Development Index has declined globally for two years in a row. Human development has fallen back to its 2016 levels, reversing much of the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Around 90% of countries saw their HDI decrease in either 2020 or 2021, and more than 40 percent declined in both years, signalling that the crisis is still deepening for many. While some countries are beginning to get back on their feet, recovery is uneven and partial, further widening inequalities in human development. The last two years have had a devastating impact for billions of people around the world, when crises like COVID-19 interacted with sweeping social and economic shifts, dangerous planetary changes such as climate change, and increased polarization. “We are facing a high degree of uncertainty. We need to embrace transformation, invest in basic services, institutions, and innovation to navigate through multiple layers of complex challenges. Focussing on a transition to a green and sustainable economy is at the core of this.’’ said Dirk Wagener, Resident Representative, UNDP Papua New Guinea. “This HDR report highlights the speed and level of changes and threats confronting humanity is beyond what we have ever experienced before, and how humanity must double down and navigate through this uncertainty.

Cricket in Papua New Guinea has come far in the last 10 years. It used to exist on raw talent, passion and little else. Now, the men's and women's national teams are professional outfits that both sit inside the International Cricket Council's (ICC) top-20 ranked T20 teams. Cricket PNG is about to receive a funding injection in partnership with Cricket Australia and the Australian government. Over the next 12 months, the funding will be rolled out to further develop the sport and strengthen ties with Australia as part of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's ramped-up engagement in the Pacific. Pauke Siaka giggles at the suggestion she and husband Assad Vala are the "King and Queen" of PNG cricket. "Maybe," said Siaka with a big grin. Vala is one of PNG's most-capped cricketers. He is a leading run-scorer and is the current skipper for the national men's team, the PNG Barramundis (the Barras). [caption id="attachment_26605" align="alignnone" width="862"] Pauke Siaka and Assad Vala are key members of the PNG women's (Lewas) and men's (Barras) cricket teams.(Supplied: Pauke Siaka)[/caption] He was also the first PNG cricketer selected for a global professional team when he played in the Hong Kong Twenty20 Blitz competition. Siaka was captain of the PNG national women's team, the Lewas, in the 2017/2018 season. The highly decorated all-rounder is currently on tour with the Lewas in Abu Dhabi for the T20 World Cup qualifiers. Siaka and Vala share the parenting of their nine-year-old son while juggling their sporting careers. For the next five weeks, Siaka is playing cricket overseas and Vala will be a stay-at-home dad. There is a lot of travel in cricket. Siaka and Vala guess they have been to up to 30 different countries on cricket tours, including Nepal, Namibia, Argentina, Oman, Netherlands, Japan and Thailand. PNG's Cricket Hub Siaka has seen a lot, considering she started playing cricket as a girl on a dirt road "in the village". But Hanuabada is no ordinary village. It is a hub for cricket like nowhere else in PNG. Remarkably, 14 of the 17 women in the current Lewas squad are from Hanuabada. Vala thinks 50 per cent of the Barramundis also hail from the village. World Vision estimates Hanuabada's population is 20,000. Not far from Port Moresby, it is known for shack homes built on stilts that reach a hundred metres out into the ocean. But it is no paradise. Over the years, Hanuabada has struggled to manage waste and rubbish. At times the conditions there have raised international concern. [caption id="attachment_26609" align="alignnone" width="789"] Like almost all of PNG's Lewas, Pauke Siaka comes from the cricket-mad village of Hanuabada.(Supplied: Cricket PNG)[/caption] It is anyone's guess how Hanuabada became the home of cricket in a nation fanatical about rugby league. But it has been this way since British missionaries introduced the game in the early 1900s. Given so many players in the current national teams live in Hanuabada, it will continue to incubate cricket stars well into the future. When Vala first played cricket for the Barras 10 years ago, there was not much gear and no money. "Everyone in the national team would share equipment," he said. "There were only a few bats, pads, and helmets. "We only used to train a couple of weeks a year. "There were no player contracts and only one tour a year with no tour allowance." Thankfully, a lot has changed since then. 'A lot of talent' A key person who ushered in the new era for Cricket PNG is former Australian Test cricketer and Cricket PNG chief executive, Greg Campbell. He committed to ensuring players like Vala and Siaka reached their full potential as cricketers while not having to worry about making a living. When Campbell got a call from an old mate and another former Australian cricketer, Andy Bichel, he did not know where PNG was. "I didn't even know it existed," Campbell said. At the time, Bichel was the Barras' head coach. "He [Bichel] said to me, 'Come help out, this country has a lot of talent but they're very raw,'" Campbell said. "I went up there for a week. It was an eye-opener … but you just saw the talent. "There was five-year-old girls and boys throwing balls at stumps and hitting the stumps and knocking them out of the ground … you couldn't get five-year-olds in Australia to do that." Within a few months, both Bichel and the then-Cricket PNG chief executive left their jobs, so Campbell took on both roles. For someone who did not know anything about PNG, his leadership has delivered revolutionary growth and development of the sport. An early breakthrough was in 2013 when he brokered a partnership with the South Australian Premier League to allow the Barras in the six-team competition. It was the first time a national sporting team of any kind from PNG was accepted to compete in an Australian domestic competition. Since then, Cricket PNG's school-based cricket development programs have achieved up to 300,000 kids playing cricket. Players from the national squads run the school and other development programs to work and play in cricket year-round. Growth of the game This year, Cricket PNG introduced an under-19 women's team. This brought their national teams to four and gave equal pathways for men and women. Campbell said the new funding from Australia would be channelled towards coaching and training. It will place up to six women in Canberra and Perth-based clubs and high-performance centres over the 2022-23 Australian cricket season. The funding also sponsored the Barras playing in the Northern Territory's Top End T20 competition last month. The Barras have had a tough year. They have struggled to regain momentum after experiencing the high of qualifying and playing in last year's men's T20 World Cup for the first time. Earlier this year, they missed out on qualification for the 2023 T20 World Cup. They are unable to nudge higher than their 19th ranking on the T20 team rankings. And they are sitting at the bottom of the ladder for 2019/23 ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 (a tournament based on ODIs) known as League 2. This is despite beating host nation Nepal to win the ODI bilateral series. Head coach and former Australia domestic cricketer Carl Sandri resigned last month after a lacklustre 15 months in the job. With a caretaker coach, the Barras will host USA and Namibia in their first League 2 series in Port Moresby for the following two weeks. It is the first international match PNG has hosted in four years. Over in Abu Dhabi, it is up to the ladies to push PNG's chances at the 2023 T20 World Cup. If they make it to the finals, it will be the Lewas' first World Cup qualification. They are grouped with Thailand, Zimbabwe and UAE. After years of COVID-19 setbacks to women's International cricket, Siaka said she was "so excited" to represent her country again after a three-year hiatus. "My family are watching back home and admire me and my husband for representing our country," she said. "We are living our dream." Source: ABC News

A two-day National Climate Change Summit concluded successfully in Port Moresby today, reaffirming Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) climate change adaptation and mitigation priorities. This was the second Summit following the first in 2021. Facilitated by the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA), the Summit was regarded as a momentous occasion to identify key challenges and opportunities of addressing climate change in the country. The Summit also focused on strengthening coordination roles amongst stakeholders, promote private sector engagement in climate finance, and re-affirm climate action priorities and guidance from stakeholders for Government consideration. Participated at the Summit were Heads of Agencies, Development Partners, Private Sectors, Institutions, Civil Society Organizations and individuals. During the opening, newly appointed Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change, the Honorable Simo Kilepa, emphasized the need to prioritize and strengthen collaboration by relevant sectors in their efforts of addressing climate change. “As government, people, entities and sectors, we must continue to step up our roles in what we can do to ensure our country is resilient to impacts of climate change which is already affecting us. “Our country’s Vision 2050 and the Medium-Term Development Plan three already provide us a clear direction of what PNG needs to do to adapt to domestic impacts of climate change and contribute to global efforts of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. “Sectors must therefore work in alignment and strengthen implementation of climate related policies and plans in place”, said Mr. Kilepa. The Summit concluded with a signing of a communique, which captured the outcome of the Summit and key actions going forward. CCDA’s Acting Managing Director William Lakain when highlighting CCDA’s efforts on climate change, also emphasized the significance of stakeholder collaboration in implementing the country’s priority climate actions. “CCDA as the lead coordinating agency for climate change actions in PNG, we have formulated policy, enacted legislation and regulations, driven programs and projects to prepare implementation of mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation to climate change. “But there are so much we can do. To fully achieve our country’s climate objectives and goals, we require relevant sectors, such as Land, Forest, Health, Agriculture and Infrastructure to work together moving forward”, said Mr. Lakain. Mr. Lakain further acknowledged the support of Development Partners and sponsors, stakeholder participants and organizers for successfully delivering the Summit. The Summit was financially and technically supported by Global Green Growth Institute (PNG), the Australian Government, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, United Nations Development Programme, Kina Bank, Newcrest Mining Limited, Deloitte and Steamships Trading Company.

MY COUNTRY MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN On behalf of my spouse Rachael and my children, it gives me great pleasure to address the Nation as we celebrate 47 years of our coming of age as an Independent Nation. This occasion provides yet again, that opportunity for us to reflect on our development achievements and challenges over the past 46 years and re-chart a meaningful course for progress in the ensuing years and beyond. Before I proceed, let’s all give thanks to the Merciful and Almighty God for His continued presence and guidance upon us over the past 46 years. MY FELLOW CITIZENS, The formation of Government by PANGU Pati that I lead, following the recent National Elections was largely due to the policies and initiatives we introduced through the Loloata Agreement upon assumption of Office in May 2019. I speak with great comfort and confidence that our people have heard PANGU Pati and its coalition partners call for transparency, good governance, sound fiscal and economic management and for socio-economic development to be inclusive and leaving no one behind. Our people overwhelmingly returned PANGU Pati to power and this is evident in that most of our candidates scored 60 per cent of the actual total votes regardless of whether they came first, second or third in the preferences. MY FELLOW CITIZENS, This overwhelming support is indeed indicative of the trust and confidence the people have in the PANGU Pati, including its Coalition Partners and signifies stability in Government. This stability and support is an added bonus that gives us confidence in practically and meaningfully implementing, and more importantly realising our sectoral plan’s and initiatives derived from the 2019 Loloata Agreement in the next five years and beyond. Furthermore, stability and continuity in Government only strengthens PANGU Pati’s resolve and mantra to make Papua New Guinea the 'Richest Black Christian Nation on Earth' and leave no one behind in the development equation. MY FELLOW CITIZENS, We are not a new Government, we are a continuing government that is NOW BETTER PREPARED AND POSITIONED to effectively coordinate and deliver on its development priorities in the next five years. This Government is NOW more targeted and focused on critical areas that will spur future economic growth and bring much needed development to all of us particularly, the unreached in rural Papua New Guinea. Whilst our focus in years gone by was mainly on the non-renewable sector, which is depletable and only serves 10 percent of the economy, we are now giving equal attention to the renewable sector that serves 80 percent of our people who can be empowered and meaningfully engaged when we appropriately harness the agri industry. We must not just harvest our resources, as has been the case in the past 46 years, we must invest in adding value to them for domestic consumption and international trade. MY FELLOW CITIZENS, Therefore the Government in our wisdom has created new ministerial portfolios responsible for Oil Palm, Coffee and Livestock that will set us on a trajectory to intervene into the rural economies and engage the majority of our people to earn a household disposable income to improve their livelihoods in these sectors where they are already directly engaged. The rural masses are our biggest asset that can be easily employed in the agriculture sector once we present them with support and workable initiatives to toil their land. Agriculture, the 'Sleeping Giant', will be awakened. In fact, the Government has already embarked on initiatives such as price and freight subsidy and nursery support to sustainably harness this important sector and ensure it is growing the rural economy while contributing to Consolidated Revenue. MY FELLOW CITIZENS, These subsidy programmes will continue not just seasonally but free from political interference and manipulation. The renewable sector, including agriculture, is the major priority of my Government now and we will extend support to include other vital areas such as Fisheries, Forestry and Tourism sectors whose potential are yet to be fully realised. Government is also now paying full attention to industrialise our economy leading into our 50th Anniversary of independence and we invite existing and potential multilateral and bilateral donors to partner with us in value-adding and downstream processing of our vast natural resources for fair and equitable returns for our resource owners, state and developers. This will also generate much-needed revenue streams that will increase our foreign exchange and complement our national budget. An increase in foreign exchange in our coffers will greatly ease the backlog in orders and shortage to help sustain our economy and build our foreign reserves to respectable levels to accommodate import coverage and balance of payments. MY FELLOW CITIZENS, Industrialisation is a very bold undertaking by this Government, and it requires the concerted effort of all our people, business and investors and Government and Development Partners. We must dispel the common perception by naysayers that Papua New Guinea is incapable of embarking on major industrialisation projects. Why should we continue to listen to such critics and be misled for the next 46 years? WE CAN DO IT! In addition to that, our Industrialisation programme is targeted at making Papua New Guinea self-sustaining as a net exporting country to Asia and the global markets. This will support our initiatives for Import Substitution and Food Security and meeting our domestic market obligation for oil and gas in petro-chemical products and for coffee, cocoa and fresh organic primary produce, fishery and livestock for food security. Partnership through Foreign Direct Investment is highly encouraged and will assist in developing our value-adding and downstream processing facilities locally in our special economic zones to bring in much needed revenue streams to support the National Budget. Furthermore, we cannot just keep talking about concepts, we already have the appropriate policies and plans in place and what we need now is total and unequivocal commitment and hard work to practically realise and implement these concepts to achieve industrialisation and economic growth. We must empower our people, so that they are equal participants and are contributing to economic growth - this Government will ensure this is achieved. We are about creating economic opportunities and empowering our many citizens in rural settings. Their potential needs to be fully realised through our various government policies and plans – This Government’s strategy is to empower one million rural families to cultivate the land with agriculture price and freight subsidy which will not be seasonal and politically motivated but on a continuing basis. The simple arithmetic here is that Government supports one million rural families who grow their crops and sells them to Government annually and if they return a profit of K10, 000 per annum individually then that would easily work out at K10 Billion easy money pumped into the economy- so this ‘Sleeping Giant’ must be awakened now and not tomorrow. To ensure an effective agriculture sector Government will be urgently seeking passage in Parliament of the Agricultural Adjustment and Agriculture Investment Corporation Draft Bills. This will include the proposal to restructure and transition the Oil Palm Industry Corporation (OPIC) into an Authority to effectively deal with all aspects of the Oil Palm Sector such as investing into mills, research and development and market access. MY FELLOW CITIZENS, No one will do this for our people, we must do it for our children and for future generations to come. Let us ALL build Papua New Guinea together - public servants, private sector, business, low and high-income earners, farmers, fisherman and ordinary citizens throughout this great nation must play your part. This Government notes the abundance of our vast natural resources that need to be combusted. More emphasis in the next three years will be placed on harnessing the agriculture sector through introduction of innovative farming methods in cash crop production, livestock and poultry. With the endless markets abound, domestically and internationally particularly in neighbouring Asian countries such as Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, China, India and Korea, the Government now has strategic plans to enter these lucrative markets including niche, to export our vast organic produce and non-renewable resources. These will be realised through carrying out substantive market analysis and reducing technical trade barriers, by placement of highly-trained and qualified Trade Commissioners in Papua New Guinea Diplomatic Posts and Missions in the Asian Region and Globally to market our renewable and non-renewable resources. MY FELLOW CITIZENS, We must realise that unlike other countries, we have large expanses of grassland and arable land at the Markham and Ramu valleys and Sepik Plains. Equally important is the fact that we have an abundance of water resources for consumption and irrigation at Brown, Purari, Ramu, Sepik and Fly rivers that must now be fully utilised to support our development agenda unlike in past years. Additionally, the Government has recently embarked on a major adjustment and restructuring exercise of our systems and processes that is now more focused, predictable and conscious of our real development needs. That will set us on a trajectory to achieve economic independence and prosperity. Now is the time to anchor these vast and abundant renewable resources to be the combustion for manufacture and draw maximum profits outputs to sustain our development agenda, especially service delivery to all our people. Let me assure you that the PANGU-led Government has a good composition of young and vibrant leaders in Parliament now, who continue to show promise and maturity in their outlook on how Papua New Guinea should rise as an economically self-sustaining nation. Their conversations with me demonstrates that they hold the national interest, first and foremost. With the contribution of these leaders, we have embarked on current key policy and legislative reforms including Budget Repair and Maintenance Programme which focus on getting the economy back on track. This is a good omen and is indicative of our collective desire to make Papua New Guinea an economic powerhouse in the Pacific region. It is also indicative that my Government is politically stable in a secure environment that has zero tolerance to corruption. MY FELLOW CITIZENS, We must now enforce accountability and transparency in our systems and processes if we are to progress as a successful nation, now and into the future. Let me state that a secure and prosperous Papua New Guinea is good for the region and neighbouring countries as it provides certainty and predictability in the way we conduct our relations with our bilateral and multilateral development partners. Our economy cannot develop and progress if our service industries are not reliably functioning. To support our economy we have embarked upon major reforms of our State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) to improve their overall performance in terms of service delivery and revenue generation to complement the National Budget. These reforms are also intended to ensure profitability, improve services in the airline industry, water, electricity and telecommunications and ensure independence of the SOEs as well as create gender balance in appointment of the Board of Directors to encourage good governance. MY FELLOW CITIZENS, Review of the Mining Act 1992 has been completed and once endorsed by NEC and Parliament will ensure fair and equitable returns to our resource owners, the State and Developer. Other Amendments that have been passed include the Mineral Resource Authority Amendment Act and certain sections of the Mining Act 1992 to accommodate necessary situations. The long-awaited re-opening of the Porgera mine will happen during the tenure of this Government and Wafi–Golpu Project will commence construction phase immediately. For Ok Tedi, I am proud to say that it continues to pay dividends to the State as a result of prudent management and favorable weather conditions that allow shipment of ore. Other Mines in operation such as Ramu and Lihir will be reviewed because of increase in output and expiration of their Special Mining Leases in 2023. MY FELLOW CITIZENS, In the gas and oil sectors, P’nyang and Papua LNG projects have been successfully negotiated and are entering the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) stage. Other Projects such as Elk Antelope and Pasca are being reviewed and pending the satisfaction of the State’s project parameters, they will proceed as planned. Review of Oil and Gas Act 1998 is progressing well with necessary changes on benefit sharing arrangements. Other necessary amendments have been completed to accommodate situations MY FELLOW CITIZENS, In the forestry sector, I launched the Forest Strategic Plan, 2021-2030 last year, which is basically aimed at increasing tax on round log exports and eventually banning round log exports by 2025. This plan is timely and is in line with my announcement in 2021 to ban round logs to enable resource owners to venture into downstream processing of our round logs and encourage Plantation development. The Forestry Act is also under review which will give emphasis to the establishment of the State Marketing Agency and to exercise the State’s 25 per cent Purchase Option of timber which has been idle since the Act’s inception. MY FELLOW CITIZENS, The Fisheries Sector continues to be a major contributor to Consolidated Revenue, through payment of annual dividends. The National Fisheries Strategic Plan 2021-2030 is a model that I encourage to be replicated by other similar Authorities given its connectivity to the Provinces and Districts to make them self-sustaining through proper harvesting of marine resources. This augurs well for the Government's plans to develop and grow our rural economies. For Tourism, a review is currently underway to ensure that the potential of this sector is being achieved in order to draw positive economic outcomes. MY FELLOW CITIZENS, Climate change continues to adversely impact our people and across the Pacific Region, and we must look at innovative technology in climate change adaptation and mitigation. We must reclaim the land that we are losing to rising sea levels and which is causing displacement to our people. The Managalas Conservation area in the Oro Province, which is now up and running, serves as an opportunity to draw from and sustainably preserve and conserve our vast forest resources for real and practical developments for our future generations. MY FELLOW CITIZENS, Trade and investment are key ingredients to our growing economy as can be seen from revenue generated from PNG exports that totaled USD 9.34 billion in 2020 while Foreign Direct Investment for 2020 was at USD 0.94B, a 3.87 per cent increase from 2019.This is an exciting time to increase trade revenue and harness business and investment opportunities. The recently-created Trade and Investment Ministerial Portfolio will be more focused and take real practical carriage and coordination of our trade and investment priorities to grow the economy, bring in innovation and state-of-the-art technology and facilities, transfer of skills and knowledge and increase Foreign Direct Investment. MY FELLOW CITIZENS, My Government is focused on supporting and growing the Micro and Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Sector. This vital sector plays a key role in growing the economy and ensuring that our citizens are productive and self-reliant. As of 31st December 2021, BSP extended total loans of K121 million to SME customers under SME Credit Enhancement Scheme Loan. The increasing loan figures are indicative of the demand in the MSME and the Government will continue to roll out this programme. The Government has also recently approved the establishment of a Credit Guarantee Corporation (CGC) to borrowers so that Banks and Financial Companies can lend money to borrowers, with limited credit scores. The CGC will provide credit guarantees to micro small and medium enterprises, where their loan applications lack adequate loan security. MY FELLOW CITIZENS, In 2019, National Parliament passed the Special Economic Zones Authority Act 2019 for the creation of Special Economic Zones to spur business, trade and investment including for mining, oil and gas, agriculture, tourism, forestry, and fisheries in these zones. The Special Economic Zones are now being piloted in Kikori, Manus and Kavieng. This will indeed spur economic growth in our Provinces and Districts. MY FELLOW CITIZENS, With regards to our Foreign Policy, this Government will be embarking on a review exercise to ensure it is strategic in its outlook and draws maximum benefits from our foreign relations through development assistance and Foreign Direct Investment that will complement and support our Development Agenda. MY FELLOW CITIZENS, The Government’s Connect PNG Programme is a major enabler to achieving the above development aspirations through development of high-quality economic infrastructure such as roads, bridges, airports, wharves, jetties and communication network to connect the rural population. All these development plans and initiatives will not be achieved without a safe and secure environment and this Government will therefore be addressing law-and-order head on. If you continue to commit crime and illegal activities, you are considered an enemy of the State and will be severely tried for your crimes under our laws. However, to rehabilitate you and make law breakers law-abiding citizens, this Government will provide second chances through prison industries and education programmes that my Government will fund. MY FELLOW CITIZENS, Papua New Guinea will finally have a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) structure in place in the coming months. This SWF structure will see seven percent of dividends from all Kumul companies, including the extractive sector, being funneled through following the policy approval by the State. Government has already approved for all Kumul companies, especially Kumul Mining Holdings Ltd, Kumul Petroleum Holdings Ltd and Kumul Consolidated Holdings Ltd that at every declaration of dividend, seven percent is set aside to be funneled into a SWF structure. MY FELLOW CITIZENS, In terms of governance, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and Whistle Blowers Act will greatly address corruption and governance issues in the country. We are absolutely committed to ensure that the commissioners for ICAC are fully appointed, and that they can commence building a reputable organisation that can start prosecuting offenders. MY FELLOW CITIZENS, Government will provide further opportunities to children, youths and adults that have not progressed in education by enrolling them in Flexible Open and Distance Education (FODE) and Community Colleges for up-skilling their qualifications and migration into Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to be productive citizens and help alleviate the escalating law-and-order situation nation-wide. MY FELLOW CITIZENS, The Government, as I mentioned earlier, is now better positioned to see through its plans and initiatives, including the policy and legislative amendments through reforms, restructuring and readjusting of our Cabinet and Public Service. The future is promising and requires our collective resolve and commitment to make us a modernised society that is structured and ensures its people are positively impacted by the Government’s development plans. We must have reason to celebrate, we cannot just celebrate because of another anniversary. Until such time that our people in remote Lagai village in Menyamya of Morobe, Mougolu village in Western Province and Pataku Island in Manus are able to access a fully-stocked aid post and a fully-resourced school, only then will we have a reason to celebrate. Let us celebrate our 47th year peacefully with our families and with a reinvigorated outlook and approach to improve for the better in the road to our 50 years of Nationhood in the next three years. God Bless Papua New Guinea ****

Nambawan Super members will continue to benefit from K50 off the cost of their one-way ticket when flying with PNG Air. This follows the renewal of a Discount Partnership Agreement this week between Nambawan Super and PNG Air in Port Moresby. Nambawan Super CEO Mr Paul Sayer said: “We are pleased that this discount can be offered to more than 200,000 of our members across the country, when they choose to travel with PNG Air for work or a holiday”. “We encourage all our Nambawan Super members including those in Retirement Savings and Choice Super, to use the discount when purchasing PNG Air tickets for one-way travel for themselves and their dependents”, Mr Sayer added. PNG Air Commercial Operations Manager Mr Thomas Johns, said: “The signing today signifies the continuation of a strong partnership between our airline and Nambawan Super”, he said. “As a nationally-owned airline, we look forward to offering this discount to Nambawan Super members so that they can keep saving when travelling to any PNG Air destination in Papua New Guinea,” said Mr Johns. To claim the discount, Nambawan Super members would need to present their membership identification cards upon purchase of tickets at any PNG Air Sales Office. This offer is also redeemable on the PNG Air website. Members must quote the promo code ‘NAMBAWAN22’ when booking until 30th November 2022, and ‘NAMBAWAN23’ when booking from 1st February 2023 onwards. Members can travel at any time, except within the aforementioned dates. The discount is now available for members and their beneficiaries, and is subject to terms and conditions. Nambawan Super offers a full list of over 160 Discount Partners, to help members to plan where to shop a save throughout the year.

Morobe Provincial Education Program Advisor Keith Tangui has announced it will collaborate Australian Football League (AFL) with its Niu Kick program to reach out to the most remote schools in the province. PPA Keith Tangui announced this at the Erap Primary School during his visit to launch the six cluster primary schools expo which commenced yesterday. He promised to work with the sporting code which has a program to link students to sports and academic activities to further their studies in Australia if they were selected. Tangui described the AFL initiative as a successive bridging program to connect young kids through sports and get them exposed to higher standard activities where they can play sports and at the same time study overseas. He has also promised six primary schools in Wampar LLG in Huon Gulf District to raise this initiative to Morobe governor Luther Wenge and his team to consider partnering with his department and the sporting code so that they continue rolling out in the province. AFL Inter Regional Manager Josephine Illa commended the PPAs announcement and said it would be a welcoming news for the department and students in the province if all partners collaborate and run this program. She stated that the Niu Kick program concentrates on sports and academic development thus this will be a welcoming story for all if the partnership program is put together and becomes a reality. AFL, SCRUM and PNG Sports Federation have attended the launching of Erap Gabmazum Primary Schools cluster expo yesterday. The event was set to exhibit students sports and academic abilities so that students gain confidence to perform out in public. It started yesterday and will continue till Friday as the country observes the 47th Independence Day.