The COVID-19 Mobile Vaccination sites in NCD have started to attract a huge number of people as of this week following a surge in Delta Variant cases in the country. Stop and Shop Waigani Central is one of the designated sites that St John Ambulance staff have set up a booth to vaccinate the public for free. People started lining up as early as 8am to receive the vaccine and by 10am, the line was already blocking off the entrance of the supermarket. A female from the Enga province(named) who was also standing in line waiting her turn said she's afraid of the new Variant which has claimed so many lives in neighbouring Pacific countries such as Fiji. "I am afraid of Delta Variant and after reading about people dying in other countries and lately PNG is also seeing deaths related to COVID-19, I have decided to get vaccinated to protect myself," she said. Meanwhile St John John Ambulance CEO Matt Cannon said St John Ambulance is proud to be supporting the NCDPHA and NCC in its vaccine rollout efforts. "Vaccines are the way forward to getting back to normal life, without lockdowns and reducing pressure on our hospitals". "To do this, we need all people to get on board." St John is offering free COVID19 vaccines at Waigani Stop n Shop on Thursday 30 September, Friday 01 October and Saturday 02 October. They are administering the AstraZeneca vaccines and the Janssen vaccine as well.

PPC Central Superintendent John Midi said a barrage of public complaints levelled against the police in Central remain unadjudicated because the complainants failed to conform to the procedures of reporting such cases. He said people must provide, statements of facts, medical certificates for injuries sustained (if any)and photographic evidence, and persistently follow up on their complaints until police personnel who are found to have acted injudiciously are charged and reprimanded through the disciplinary process. He said once such complaints are registered, criminal charges can be laid as well depending on the nature of the reported cases. PPC Midi said alot of people especially PMV operators and commuters along the Hiritano and Magi highway have raised complaints of police extortion and abuses but some of these cases remain unattended, because the complainants have not complied with the reporting procedures "We hear them but how can we deal with the perpetrators when the victims are not collaborating with the internal investigators. "The internal investigators need collaborative evidence to prepare charges for members who are stepping out of line," PPC Midi said. He said many people are probably scared of reprisals. "They should not fear anyone, because we have a strong and robust leadership at the Command level. "If you get threatened, report it as well, and we will deal with the perpetrator." Superintendent Midi said. "The RPNGC management despises corrupt behaviour and will do all it can to protect and preserve the integrity of the hard working policemen and policewomen in front line policing." PPC Midi said. He said all complaints of police abuses in Central must be referred to the Office of the PPC located at the Gordon barracks bowser in NCD.

Port Moresby, Digicel CellMoni continues to increase its footprint across Papua New Guinea bringing Mobile Financial Services, convenience and security to businesses and individuals a like. This week CellMoni formed its latest partnership with PNG jungle.com.pg; an Online Marketplace for Papua New Guinea (PNG) which facilitates online buying and selling of products for persons in PNG and around the world. Jungle aims to be a convenient, safe and trusted way to buy products online using a variety of payment methods with Kina Bank, BSP Pay and now Digicel CellMoni. It is a straight forward user-friendly platform where purchases can be picked up from the vendors store or delivered to customers in all provinces of PNG. Co-Founder of Jungle, Demetri Allayialis says ‘Ecommerce can help in alleviating poverty, improving economies of developing countries. With Jungle we also want to bring a fun and easy way to shop for a growing range of products and for these products to reach families in remote communities with our door to door service.’ He also believes that ‘mobile money has a pivotal part to play in PNG, where infrastructure connectivity limits people from reaching financial institutions. Now telecommunications (in large part due to Digicel) penetrates the remotest parts of PNG from Teleformin in Western Province to Pomio in East New Britain. The digital evolution from cash to online banking and now mobile money ‘CellMoni’ can allow a wider range of people to make and receive payment of goods.’ Jungle Online Marketplace is rapidly growing with vendors including Brian Bell Homewares, Maku Gifts (LavaGirl), RH Hypermarket, Star Office Works, Farmset, Agmark Gurias, Kenny’s Collection and more. Jungle delivers to every province in PNG. Digicel’s Senior Vice President and Chief Sales Officer, Lorna McPherson, says, “improving customer experience has always been in Digicel’s DNA, so the partnership we are announcing today with Jungle Online Marketplace is aligned with Digicel’s agenda for PNG’s digital transformation. The world is  changing and during this period of the COVID 19 pandemic, moving to more digital payment system will reduce and minimize person’s health risks while improving the quality of services, efficiency and reducing cost.” Digital transformation in PNG is already in our everyday life; CellMoni customers can already pay their EasiPay and water bill, send and receive money real-time, purchase their Digicel TV plan, buy Digicel plans, pay their Loans and contribute to their Savings every day from the comfort of their houses. In addition to all of that, CellMoni Customers can now, pay for their online shopping with Jungle using CellMoni. We again convey our gratitude to the Bank of Papua New Guinea for all its’ efforts to increase digital payments and financial inclusion and for supporting Digicel to be one of the main drivers of this change in PNG. As we say in Digicel, we are better together. To find out how to pay with CellMoni go to https://www.jungle.com.pg/cellmoni-paymentinformation

Air Niugini wishes to advise customers that the Philippines Government has now removed the restriction on carriage of passengers originating in PNG to the Philippines with immediate effect from today, Friday 01st October. PX010/PX011 flights between Port Moresby and Manila are now operating as per normal schedule. Air Niugini’s Boeing 737 flies to Manila twice weekly, on Fridays and Sundays. In addition to Manila, Air Niugini currently flies to Singapore (4 flights weekly), Hong Kong (2 weekly), Brisbane (6 weekly) and Sydney (1 weekly).

Twinza is pleased to announce that effective today, Stephen Quantrill has been appointed as Chairman of the Board. Mr Quantrill replaces Ian Munro who has elected not to renew his employment contract as CEO with Twinza beyond its expiry on the 30th September 2021. Mr Munro will also be stepping down as Chairman of Twinza and resigning as a Director of the Company after 18 months in the roles. Mr Quantrill has been a member of the Board of Directors of Twinza since May 2014, representing the Clough family interests. The Clough family is the founding shareholder of the Company and the largest holder on the register. Twinza has commenced a CEO search process of both internal and external candidates and will update shareholders on progress in due course. Chairman, Stephen Quantrill commented that “Ian has been instrumental in advancing Twinza’s Pasca A Project and we thank him and wish him continued future success. In order to ensure a seamless transition I will be travelling to Port Moresby in the very near term to meet with key stakeholders, to identify a path to the signing of the Pasca A Gas Agreement and subsequent entry to the front-end engineering and design phase of the Project”.

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has unveiled details of the international route and the design of the Queen’s Baton for the 16th official Queen’s Baton Relay. The Queen’s Baton Relay is a Games tradition that celebrates, connects and excites communities from across Commonwealth during the build up to the Games. The Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay will arrive in Papua New Guinea on January 28th and will spending 2 days exploring the culture and community. The Relay begins on 7 October 2021 at Buckingham Palace, where Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will place Her message to the Commonwealth into the Baton. The Baton then takes on an incredible 294-day journey through all nations and territories of the Commonwealth, arriving back in England in July 2022. The Baton will travel an epic international route, spanning an impressive 269 days, spending between two and four days in each nation or territory, covering approximately 90,000 miles (140,000 kilometres), having over 7,500 Batonbearers trusted with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to carry the Baton. The Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay will visit all 72 nations and territories of the Commonwealth yet will travel almost half the distance than the previous Gold Coast Queen’s Baton Relay in a bid to reduce the carbon footprint. Over the course of the Relay, the Baton is set to spend Christmas Eve in the Seychelles, will bring in the New Year in the Maldives and plans to be in Jamaica over the Easter weekend. Before arriving in Papua New Guinea, the Baton will have just visited Brunei, in Asia. After departing Papua New Guinea, the Baton will make its way to Solomon Islands. During each visit, nations and territories will host events and activities that showcase untold stories from Batonbearers, athletes, and young people who are striving for change in their community, as well as showcasing a project that addresses at least one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The global journey will conclude at the Birmingham 2022 Opening Ceremony where the final Batonbearer will return the Baton to Her Majesty The Queen. The Baton The Baton was conceived in an innovative West Midlands collaboration that fuses art, technology, and science. Product designers and engineers Raymont-Osman Product Design, design and development specialists Kajul, and artist Laura Nyahuye from MAOKWO each injected their creativity and expertise into the Baton. The technology within the Baton is the work of BOM (Birmingham Open Media), a leading centre for art, technology and science in central Birmingham, dedicated to ‘creative innovation with purpose’. The Baton champions the individuality in humanity and celebrates bringing people together. It embodies the idea that every individual has distinctive lived experiences that are threaded together and woven into a collective tapestry of cultures. The Baton form is entwined with unique components and displays connectivity to represent the power of collaboration. The Baton’s form The shape of the Baton moves away from the traditional shape seen in previous editions of The Queen’s Baton. With Birmingham 2022 making history by being the first major multi-sport event to award more medals to women than men, the strength and fortitude of women across the Commonwealth is celebrated throughout the design of the Baton. Lining the length of the Baton is a platinum strand, paying homage to The Queen in her Platinum Jubilee year, as well as celebrating her role as the Head of the Commonwealth. To represent the bronze, silver and gold medals that athletes will be competing for, the Baton has been cast using accessible, non-precious metals of copper, aluminium and brass. By using aluminium forged using the traditional method of lost wax casting in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, the Baton has used the centuries of local expertise and craftsmanship that gives Birmingham its reputation as the city of a thousand trades. The Baton’s design Etched onto a steel plaque on the top of the Baton is the Birmingham 2022 logo, a distinctive ‘B’ shape which is a visual representation of communities across the West Midlands. The mechanised chamber sitting beneath the brass leaf plaque will be opened at the Birmingham 2022 opening ceremony to reveal The Queen’s message. The Commonwealth Games Federation logo is also visible on the Baton, an emblem that reflects the key values of humanity, equality and destiny. As the Baton travels on its journey and tells stories from communities, the warm copper tones of the Baton will develop a mesmerising patina, a blue-green film that forms on the material after exposure, demonstrating how it will evolve in appearance as it is passed from Batonbearer to Batonbearer. The Baton’s technology Enhanced with cutting-edge technologies, the Baton will capture data and stories from across the Commonwealth, shining a spotlight on grassroots innovation and celebrating the people driving change within their communities. The Baton features LED lighting and a heartrate sensor that display the heartbeats of Batonbearers. The lighting also changes when two people grip the Baton during handover, celebrating collaboration and the sharing of wisdom between young and old. In a time where human contact has been limited, the Baton addresses how connections matter more than ever. As well as an illuminated heartbeat, the Baton also has ‘lungs’, consisting of atmospheric sensors with laser technology that analyses the environmental conditions wherever it is in the world. Augmented Reality (AR) will be used to creatively visualise the data captured throughout the journey to invite more awareness of and conversations around air quality across the Commonwealth. The data will contribute to the ongoing research projects being conducted by atmospheric scientist Professor Francis Pope and his team at the University of Birmingham. Fitted with a 360-degree camera, the Baton also has ‘eyes’, and a ‘brain’ which records and transmits imagery and digital information, allowing stories from Commonwealth communities to be told. GPS technology allows the Baton to be tracked on its travels. The team of creators were photographed with the Baton on the balcony of the offices of PwC, the Official Supplier of Professional Advisory Services for Birmingham 2022, which overlooks the iconic Birmingham landmarks of Centenary Square and the Library of Birmingham. Martin Green, Chief Creative Officer at Birmingham 2022, said: “The Queen’s Baton Relay is a special tradition for the Games and a fantastic opportunity to connect the Commonwealth as we countdown to Birmingham 2022. Unveiling the Baton and its international journey is an exciting milestone for us, as we’re just days away from the official launch of the Relay. “The Baton is the stunning result of art, traditional craftmanship and innovative technology, all designed and made right here in the West Midlands, and I can’t wait to see it embark on its epic journey where thousands of Batonbearers will interact with it. It will be visiting some wonderful places before arriving back here in Birmingham for the Opening Ceremony on 28 July 2022.” Commonwealth Games Federation President Dame Louise Martin DBE said: “The Queen’s Baton Relay is one of the most special aspects of the Commonwealth Games as it so vividly symbolises the friendship, respect and unity across our 72 nations and territories. “When Her Majesty The Queen places Her message to the Commonwealth into the Baton at Buckingham Palace next week, it will start a spectacular 294-day journey that will begin the final countdown to the Opening Ceremony. “I know that communities across the Commonwealth will be so excited to see the Baton as it passes through their own villages, towns and cities. “I hope that as many Commonwealth citizens as possible can be part of the Relay so that they can experience the true magic of the Commonwealth Games.” The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will see 4,500 athletes from 72 nations and territories taking part in 11 days of spectacular sport, from 28 July – 8 August 2022. Picture by: Warrington Guardian  

A recent forum by transport sector agencies has highlighted the need for increased women’s participation and capacity building in the maritime sector. The Transport Sector Coordination, Monitoring and Implementation Committee (TSCMIC) Forum headed by Chairman and Transport Secretary, Roy Mumu OBE, discussed the importance of inclusive participation of both men and women to achieve an improved maritime industry, to enable economic growth and social development. TSCMIC is supported by the Australian Government through the Transport Sector Support Program and provides a forum for maritime, aviation and land transport agencies to work alongside donors to provide a safer and more reliable transport network for Papua New Guinea (PNG). The forum coincided with World Maritime Day on Thursday 30 September. This meeting’s theme focused on the invaluable role of seafarers and shone a spotlight on issues in shipping to ensure a sustainable sector. Secretary Mumu highlighted the important role TSCMIC plays in facilitating collaboration between development partners, including Australia, ensuring that support is well targeted and aligns with the priorities of the Government of Papua New Guinea. This includes promoting the principle of gender equality in the Public Service workplace to drive good people management practices and organizational development. "We recognise the maritime sector’s crucial work in maintaining and developing existing infrastructure, which is part of a collective effort in achieving socio-economic goals for Papua New Guineans. To sustain these efforts across the transport sector, this signals diversity in the workforce where women are being empowered, be it in technical roles or the decisionmaking process," he said. The forum further provided the PNG National Maritime Safety Authority, as the Secretariat for Pacific Women in Maritime Association (PacWIMA), the opportunity to discuss the Regional Strategy for Pacific Women in Maritime 2020-2024. This strategy envisions a sustainable maritime community by providing a more inclusive, safe working environment for equal opportunities and fair treatment for all Pacific women in the maritime sector. The PacWIMA was established in 2005 through a partnership between International Maritime Organisation and the Pacific Community. It has national chapters comprising PNG, Fiji, Tonga, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, Kiribati, Nauru, Tuvalu and Samoa.

Madang Governor Peter Yama was arrested and charged last night for allegations relating to the missing K6million, money belonging to the Manam Resettlement Authority. He was charged on five charges; abuse of office, conspiracy to defraud, misappropriation and money laundering under the public finance management Act. He was released on a K3000 police bail last night and will appear in court on Friday. At 7pm last night the Madang Governor, Peter Yama, presented himself at the Jomba Police station for police to officially arrest and charge him. On Monday afternoon police attempted to arrest him at his residence but due to his health condition the arrest was put off to Wednesday. Meanwhile two of his wives Mary Simoi Yama and Velda Yama were also arrested and charged on three charges respectively. The charges include money laundering, conspiracy and false pretence. According to police both wives are out on K3000 police bail and will also appear at the Madang District Court on Friday at 9:30am. Last night’s arrest is the latest of the Yama family arrested over the allegations of the missing K6million money belonging to the Manam Resettlement Authority to resettle displaced islanders living in the care centres. This arrest brings the number of arrests to 18 with various charges laid against them. Picture Courtesy of PNG Health News

The Papua New Guinea Chamber of Mines and Petroleum has applauded the signing of Heads of Agreements for the P’nyang Gas project. Chamber President, Anthony Smaré, stated “Our country desperately needs new gas and mining projects to bring in foreign exchange, create thousands of jobs, create significant business opportunities for PNG SMEs that desperately need them, and generate additional revenue for the State to fund important government services. “The signing of the heads of agreement after a successful negotiation between the PNG Government and ExxonMobil earlier this week in Houston USA was an important first step in the finalization of the necessary agreements to pave the way for the construction of the P’nyang Project”. “It is pleasing to see the positive and constructive manner in which the Prime Minister and his team approached the negotiation with the developers, and the win-win outcome that was secured for the country. As the Prime Minister stated, it is also important to note that the State was able to secure these advantageous economic benefits via a commercial negotiation with ExxonMobil under the current resource sector laws – this win-win outcome was achieved without changing any laws”. “The signing of these HOAs signal a continued push in the right direction of returning stability to the resource investor climate and led by ExxonMobil and its partners committing to the project, and agreeing with the government on its expectations. It will help retain and build investor confidence in the country’s existing resource laws, amongst other potential developers across the globe,” he said. “I extend my congratulations also to the state entities Kumul Petroleum and Mineral Resources Development Corporation and Petroleum Minister Kerenga Kua and Gulf Governor Chris Haiveta who all played leading roles in the negotiations”. “The global energy market is moving through a period of transition, away from fossil fuels, and into renewable energy. PNG is facing a risk that if it doesn’t convert the opportunities to develop its gas resources now, it will lose that opportunity forever, and the present generation of Papua New Guineans will pay the price in lost income, education, and health outcomes. That is why the successful P’nyang heads of agreement negotiations were significant.”

A collaborative effort by the Port Moresby Nature Park through its Trees4Life initiative, continues to support NCD Governor’s ‘One Million Trees’ campaign as it gradually progresses, adding more green spaces around NCD through tree planting by youth volunteers. Team leaders of Active City Youth Development Program, Kathy Kiage and Judy Bomai visited the Port Moresby Nature Park nursery today to collect an additional 320 trees to plant along the Hohola Freeway as well as in Kaugere after successfully planting more than 600 trees around various sites in the city last week. As an action towards the Cities4Forests declaration signed by the NCD Governor during World Environment Day celebrations this year, to make Port Moresby a greener city in the fight against global warming and climate change, Port Moresby Nature Park is honoured to continue this partnership. Trees are a crucial part of positive environmental action. Trees are important because they are nature’s way of ‘locking in’ carbon. Planting more trees, and protecting the ones we have, are two of the most powerful ways to combat climate change and preserve our planet. Kathy Kiage, Active City Youth Development Program team leader and NCDC’s Tree Planting Coordinator said the team of volunteers have been actively planting trees around NCD and are happy to see them thrive with the recent rains. The team successfully planted trees along the new Morata – Gerehu freeway and are looking forward to a special program with the NCD Governor and Bomana Prison inmates where they will be planting 200 trees along the Independence Boulevard. Port Moresby Nature Park’s nursery team are enthusiastic about the outcome of the Trees4Life initiative, giving the team greater purpose being providers of all the tree seedlings that would be planted around NCD. The ‘Trees for Life’ initiative is supported by the global NGO Cities 4Forests and One Tree Planted, the Sir Brian Bell Foundation, the British High Commission, Rotary Club of Port Moresby and Skal Port Moresby. With continuous environmental issues affecting many societies today, the work of Port Moresby Nature Park will be even more important as we advocate, protect and conserve PNG’s Wildlife and Natural Environment.

The surrounding communities of Lido, Dawaoh and Daunda, can now enjoy a well-lit facility from a reliable clean energy source that now powers up the centre. With the country facing another Covid-19 surge in cases, the BSP Vanimo Branch also came with a timely assistance, providing a fridge for the medical staff, to safely store vaccines. Lote Health Centre Acting Officer-in-Charge, Nickson Howie in receiving the support from BSP Vanimo Branch said the project will not only benefit the people of Vanimo but PNG as a whole. “People of Vanimo can now receive the Covid-19 vaccine including other vaccines through the use of the vaccine fridge at Lote Health-Sub Centre. We now have a solar powered vaccine fridge to safely store vaccines,” Howie said. From renovating a double story classroom at Dasi Primary School in 2019 to assisting the Don Bosco Technical Secondary School with computers for its lab in 2020, BSP Vanimo Branch Manager Delilah Kanit said the bank continues to give back to the people through its Community Projects.  “Apart from giving back to the community through Corporate Social Responsibility, the team actively runs environmental activities in line with BSP Go Green initiatives; we also conduct Financial Literacy Training in the communities in which over 300 people including students have participated in the training this year. West Sepik Province has an estimated population of 190,000 people across the province’s 36,616 square kilometres of landmass – the third largest province in terms of landmass in PNG, “and BSP is happy to be serving some of some areas where no other banks go, “ said Mrs Kanit. BSP through its Vanimo and Aitape Branches has given back 26 community projects in total valued at K610,000 since 2009.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed today (30 September 2021) between the Centre for Excellence in Financial Inclusion (CEFI) Executive Director Saliya Ranasinghe, and the PNG National Research Institute (NRI) Acting Director Dr. Osborne Sanida with the aim to consolidate and strengthen cooperation between the institutions. The NRI is a publicly-funded policy think-tank in PNG mandated by legislation to carry out independent research and analysis on development issues affecting PNG. The National Research Institute Act 1993, states that the functions of NRI include the following: (a) “The promotion of research into Papua New Guinea Society and the economy, and (b) the undertaking of research into social, political and economic problems of Papua New Guinea in order to enable practical solutions to such problems to be formulated.” (Section 5, NRI Act, 1993). The NRI’s mission is to provide quality research which contributes to evidence-based public policies and decision-making processes that improve service delivery, leading to better quality of life for all Papua New Guineans. CEFI was established under the Association Incorporation Act and officially launched on 24th April 2013 serves as the industry apex organisation for coordinating, advocating and monitoring all financial inclusion activities in PNG. CEFI’s vision, mission and values focus on financial inclusion and literacy, poverty elimination and the promotion of vibrant financial institutional operation in PNG. The agreement reflects the mutual value both institution hold in terms of extension and strengthening of research exchange for the general benefit of Papua New Guinea. The partnership signals new research grounds into the country’s economic and social development, with special focus on the role of education in development, and the impact of economic and social change on education. Other research activities under the signed partnership will include exchange of research staff, joint research partnerships and co-hosting of seminars and workshops to disseminate research findings through networks of both organizations. CEFI Exective Director Mr Saliya Ranasinghe stated the partnership is in compliance with CEFI’s mandate on financial inclusion and literacy, poverty elimination and promotion of vibrant financial institutional operations in PNG. “The main areas of this agreement between CEFI and NRI will be on researching the impact of Financial Inclusion Activities, Digital Financial Services, Financial Literacy and Financial Education, Micro Insurance, SME and Agriculture Lending.” Mr Ranasinghe addressed at the signing event. “Synergies like the one between the CEFI and the PNGNRI contribute to the more effective research ecosystem that enriches both the education and economic sectors.” Mr Ranasinghe said. NRI Acting Director Dr. Osborne Sanida equally elated about the partnership states, “NRI as a policy think-tank in PNG looks forward to working closely with CEFI to provide practical solutions to financial inclusion constraints, and contribute evidencebased solutions to improve financial inclusivity for all Papua New Guineans.” “Close cooperation is needed between our institutions and the academic community in order to develop the necessary methodologies and to create the appropriate tools to enable CEFI to carry out their work effectively.” Dr. Sanida remarked. This MOU is effective today and will be renewed every five years between the institutions