PNG reported ten new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours increasing the country’s total cases to 955.  The latest cases were reported in four provinces, West Sepik, Madang, East New Britain and in the National Capital District.  In NCD, two adult male,  aged 45 year and 49 year who reside in the Moresby South electorate have been tested positive. They both were experiencing fever, muscle aches and cough at the time of testing. East New Britain and Madang reported a case each whilst West Sepik reported six new cases. A 36 year old female is the latest to be confirmed positive in the East New Britain province. She was experiencing cough, fever and headache at the time of testing. In Madang, a 52 year old female is the latest to be confirmed positive. She was not showing symptoms of the COVID-19 virus but swab samples returned positive.   West Sepik recorded six positive cases of which five are health care workers. All six cases, three male and three female, ages ranging from 30 to 62 years old have been detected through contact tracing. The country's Covid 19 cases now stands at 955 with 10 known deaths.  Seventeen provinces including the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB) have reported cases. The distribution of the cases is as follows: Provinces Confirmed Cases NCD 376 Western Province 233 West New Britain 194 East New Britain 31 Madang 29 New Ireland 22 West Sepik 16 Eastern Highlands 13 Central 11 Western Highlands 10 Morobe 9 East Sepik 3 Enga 3 Milne Bay 2 AROB 1 Hela Province 1 SHP                             1 TOTAL 955 Globally, the total confirmed cases of COVID-19 has reached 108,153,741 including 300,530 new cases reported in the last 24 hours.  The death toll is 2,381,295 of which 7,776 were reported in the last 24 hours.

This news just in! 10 new cases of COVID-19 just reported in the last 24 hours increasing PNG's total cases to 955. The latest cases were reported in four provinces, West Sepik, Madang, East New Britain and in the National Capital District. Keep to your COVID-19 safety practices, listen in to the news on this stations and follow our website pnghausbung.com for more on this story.

The K18.4 billion Wafi Golpu Joint venture mining in Morobe province says the Huon Gulf is the “feasible” spot to place the Deep Sea Tailings Placement (DSTP) for its mining project because “it is one of the world’s deepest near-coastline marine canyons”.  WGJV reiterated that DSTP is the best available option for its mining operations despite opposition by the Morobe Governor, Ginson Saonu, academics and technical experts. To support its claims and allaying environmental fears, the WGJV posted a fact sheet and explainer videos on its website arguing that the DSTP technique is the best available option for its mining project. “The Markham Canyon in the Huon Gulf is one of the world’s deepest near-coastline marine canyons…is an ideal location for DSTP as it forms a continuation of the Markham River and transports significant amounts of natural river sediment into very deep water. The amount of tailings contributed to the Huon Gulf will form less than 20 per cent of the existing natural sedimentation. “The WGJV has studied tailings management solutions for the Wafi-Golpu Project according to international best practice,’ the report says. “These studies have been independently verified as being in accordance with appropriate industry professional standards”. It says the proposal meets standards set out by the International Council of Mining and Metals (ICMM) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). It adds that PNG’s high rainfall and frequent seismic activity make on-land options more risky. “The tailings pipeline through Lae poses no specific harm to the community and is similar to the existing buried sewerage and infrastructure pipelines beneath the road network.  “The Markham Canyon does not host high biodiversity or fisheries because of the significant natural sediment transport down this conduit to very deep water, including through regular submarine landslide events that scour the canyon.’  “The EIS (Environmental Impact Studies) predict no effect on the coastal environment, productive surface waters, community health or fisheries. The tailings pipeline through Lae poses no specific harm to the community and is similar to the existing buried sewerage and infrastructure pipelines beneath the road network. The Concentrate Storage Facilitate at the Port of Lae has a purpose-built water treatment plant to achieve PNG water quality criteria at the point of discharge,” the WGJV stated. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Morobe Provincial Government But the Morobe Governor, Ginson Saonu said that the Government through the Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change, Wera Mori has failed the people of Morobe by ignoring their environmental concerns and granted an environment permit for the WGJV project. “We are not against the mine. But we reject DSTP. We are convinced that the scientific evidence that points to poisonous and destructive waste being dumped as “red flagged” in the Reviews organized by CEPA (Conservation and Environment Protection Agency) are the correct findings. ‘We do not believe, and do not accept, that the so-called consultations held by or with the people along the coast are representative of persons who truly know the meaning and extent of what the DSTP proposes to do – that is, to poison their livelihood.’ ‘Our concerns are not centred on profit. Our concerns arise from the fact that dumping of waste into the Huon Gulf will poison the fisheries.’ Saonu said the Morobe provincial government will challenge the legality of a pipeline to deposit tailings into the Huon Gulf. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………University of Papua New Guinea Dr. Ralph Mana, an Associate professor of Zoophysiology (how bodily parts of animals function) and senior lecturer at the University of PNG Biological Sciences said WGJV spent K30 million on environment impact assessment plan but did very little on marine studies where tailings and concentrate filtrate water will impact. “WGJV does not have any substantial baseline data of Huon Gulf. Baseline data is a fundamental requirement for DSTP. Organisms will be destroyed by tailings and filtrate waste water. Monitoring will be impossible if you don’t have baseline data. “Secondly, major gap in the EIS is the Bathymetry (Bathymetry is the study of underwater depth of ocean floors or lake floors) and uneven characteristics of the slope at Wagang where the pipe will be located. “The slope is so rough that high density tailings will break into suspension at 300m and continue to do so. Since the Markham canyon is 4-6 km away most tailings will not reach the canyon. “One fundamental requirement for DSTP is tailings must reach 1000m depth quickly. This is not the case at Wagang,” Dr. Mana said.  He added that from the WGJV DSTP EIS, the model showed that about 60 per cent of tailings will not reach Markham canyon 4-6 km away from pipe orifice. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………University of Technology Dr. Mana cited further study by Dr. Ora Renagi, currently University of Technology Vice Chancellor who found that 80 per cent of sediments from Markham river are not found in Markham canyon. “And no one knows where it goes to. So after going thru the EIS, I would confidently say that less than 10 per cent of tailings might find the canyon if at all and the rest will spread in all directions to distances as far as 30km. “It will be worse than Basamuk because Basamuk canyon directs the tailings to 800-1000m depth. I also delineated the Oceanographic EIS and guess what I found; there are two major currents flowing opposite to each other at DSTP site meaning tailings will be transported in both directions-Salamaua way as well as Finschafen way through Vitiaz strait. “Despite the information on the sediments loads from the 12 rivers, the exact amount of sediments entering the canyon head is yet to be determined. Over 80 per cent of the sediments that entered the sea are no way to be seen nor in the canyon and the surroundings. “Study must be done to clarify this disappearance of the huge sediment load that enters the gulf. Therefore it is not true that tailings will flow into the canyon because when it gets into suspension it will follow what the river sediments are doing and that is not to flow into the canyon. “The Minister has ill-informed the Parliament and the Government. Take home message is Wagang is not a good spot for DSTP. Period”, Dr. Mana said. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Alternative Mine Tailings Waste Management A PNG engineer, Thompson Benguma of Jatropha Biofuel Industries Corporation Ltd believes there is an option to the much opposed and rejected DSTP technique for the WGJV project.   According to him, there is a new trend in the world towards reprocessing of mine tailings waste to recover precious metal and minerals will remain in the tailing after the chemical extraction process. He believes transforming the tailings slurry into dry tailings slurry cake material which can be stored on land which is safe and environmentally and socially friendly. Mr. Benguma said this is a Wafi Golpu Mine Area Landowner sponsored initiative and alternative.   He will be speaking on the subject on the FM100 on Monday, Feb 15 at 9 am. Has his technology available and tried elsewhere in the world? “Yes”, according to Mr. Benguma. “Due to the situation we are in, we have to do something as Papua New Guineans for our country. Our engineers and scientists are trained to think and solve problems and not to sit back and wait for something to happen”.   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Critique A University of Papua New Guinea Chemistry post graduate scholar (named) while agreeing to the mine tailings waste management proposal of Mr. Benguma however, raises concerns about the storage method of the slurry cakes whether it will be above the ground or below ground. He said isolation of three agents; air, water and bacteria (Thiobacillus ferrooxidans) from the slurry cakes are paramount in this application and if these three agents can be isolated then it will be environment friendly.  He said the technology was developed by Europeans. This alternative waste management technique can be used by mining in Sahara desert and places where there is no rain. Lae annually registers about 3 litres of rain while Tabubil registers about 10 litres of rain. The technology only removes up to 90% water to produce cake and when this cake is left out in the open, especially in Lae, the cake will reabsorbs water again thus producing sulphuric acid which is harmful to the environment and people. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Newcrest Mining Limited (NML) and Harmony Gold Mining Limited (HGML) each own 50% in the Wafi Golpu Joint Venture, an advanced exploration project, located 65 kilometres South West of Lae city, Morobe province. The Government granted an Environmental Permit end of January, 2021, a necessary step towards it receiving a special mining licence (SML). It is highly likely, this project will be further delaid beyond June, 2021 considering upcoming threats of legal challenges. Picture sourced: wafigolpujv.com

A 54-year-old man from Yangoru, East Sepik Province,  has become the 10th known person to die due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The latest death has been reported from the Angau General Hospital in Lae on Monday 08 February, 2021. The man was admitted to the hospital on January 28 with symptoms of COVID-19 which were fever, cough, chest pain and shortness of breath . He was tested and confirmed to have COVID-19. His records also showed that he was a long-time patient with hypertension. His death could not be released to the media earlier because the hospital needed to complete all investigations to rule out any possible causes. Meanwhile, the Controller of the National Pandemic Response Mr David Manning has sent out his condolences to his immediate family and relatives for their loss. “We are saddened to announce this death. We send our condolences to his family and relatives,’’ said Mr Manning. Mr Manning said this person did the right thing by seeking help at the hospital. Unfortunately, despite everything being done to help him he succumbed to the virus. The controller also used this opportunity to appeal to everyone in the country to adhere to the measures in place against COVID-19. “At this stage, there is no cure for COVID-19. The health workers can help care for you when you are sick with COVID-19, but there is no treatment for it,’’ he said, adding that  this is why it is important that everyone must listen and adhere to the health measures against COVID-19. These are: • Washing your hands often; • Coughing into your elbow; • Avoid touching your face (in case you coughed or sneezed into your hands); • Wearing of facemasks in public; • Avoiding crowds; • Practicing physical distancing of 1.5 to 2 metres from the next person; • Avoiding hugs; and • Cleaning work benches and personal items such as phones and laptops. Today’s surveillance team reported eight new cases, bringing the total positive cases  of COVID-19 in PNG to 922. Of the eight new cases, one was from Morobe and the rest came from the Western Province. Another 14 cases were reported yesterday in Madang and NCD. Madang reported 13 new cases while NCD one. The cases in Madang were reported through contact tracing and patients were all males, ages ranging from from 21 tp 46 years. The 13 cases did not show symptoms of the COVID-19 virus at the time of testing but swab samples returned otherwise.

PNG has recorded the 10th death from Covid-19. A 54-year-old man from East Sepik Province, had died as a result of COVID-19 at the Angau General Hospital in Lae. The latest death has been reported from the Angau General Hospital in Lae. The man died on 08 February, a week after he was admitted to the hospital with symptoms of COVID-19 which were fever, cough, chest pain and shortness of breath. Keep to your COVID-19 safety practices, listen in to the news on this stations and follow our website pnghausbung.com for more on this story.

Bank South Pacific continues to lead the market in digital banking solutions, rolling out school fee payment via its BSP *131# Mobile Banking USSD platform. BSP Group General Manager – Retail, Daniel Faunt, said that as a more convenient alternative to attending to BSP’s branches to pay children’s school fees, BSP continues to focus on providing digital payment solutions for its customers, which includes the provision of EFTPoS terminals to schools as well as through its Mobile Phone USSD service.  Mr Faunt said this in response to an article in the media dated Friday 5th February, 2021, quoting a parent, calling on banks to provide EFTPoS machines to schools for ease of payments.  “We understand the challenge of making school fee payments at this time of the year and have implemented a number of digital solutions to provide parents with convenient options rather than having to go into BSP branches. The provision of EFTPoS terminals to schools continues to remain a focus however is reliant on the schools embracing the opportunity to change. We continue to work with the schools to enable a larger number of schools to be on boarded as EFTPoS merchants. With almost 8,000 schools in PNG, Mr Faunt did point out that it was not economical for every school to have an EFTPoS terminal, nor was telecommunications in more rural areas always of sufficient bandwidth to permit a terminal to operate effectively. “We have also developed a more innovative payment solution to address this issue by including school fee payments on our BSP Mobile Banking USSD platform. It is more convenient, faster and easier for parents and guardians.  The platform provides a convenient School Fee Payment solution for parents or guardians to pay their school fees without visiting a branch and eases reconciliation processes for schools,” says Mr Faunt. BSP’s Deputy General Manager - Retail Sales & Customer Service, Peter Komon, further explained on a recent Talkback Show appearance on how parents can make instant school fee payments anywhere, anytime via BSP Mobile Banking through registered schools who have become a BSP Mobile Banking Merchant. “We have enhanced our service on the USSD code *131# to meet our customers’ needs around this time by offering a convenient channel to pay school fees. Parents can now pay their fees to schools using the respective school’s Merchant Code.   So instead of having to go to a branch, or the school to make an EFTPoS payment, parents can use BSP Mobile Banking whether at home or at work,” Mr Komon said.  “We worked with a number of schools to pilot the service last year, and are happy to advise  that we have been able to get the major tertiary institutions such as Divine Word University, UPNG, UNITECH, IBSU and PAU registered for 2021,” Komon added. Over 130 schools across the country have been invited to register as Mobile Merchants, with more than 70 now registered.   BSP is encouraging more schools to register for the service and aims to onboard all 8,000 schools in the country over the next 6 months. “When we onboard schools, we cover how reconciliation of payments will be done. Both the parent and the school receive electronic payment confirmations in writing. Parents can also be assured that that the schools participating as Mobile Merchants will accept payments made via BSP Mobile Banking platform,” explained Komon. Don Mak, a customer in Lae recently used Mobile Banking *131# to make School Fee Payments to St. Pauls Lutheran High School.  “I trust your Mobile Banking Service and I use it often to send bucks for my wantoks. Since your Mobile Banking is a trusted and efficient service, it would be good if other schools start accepting school fee payments through Mobile banking as well,” said Mak. A student who used this service to pay her school fees last year while at the Divine Word University, Edwina Eugino said she found the service very convenient.  “My recommendation to others would be to use mobile banking as it is much safer than walking to the bank at this busy time of the year where the bank lines are long and as a student who also has other commitments to do in order settle in for the academic year, mobile banking saves time and is very convenient. I was told of the service by the BSP Madang team who assisted with the code for DWU,” said Ms Eugino who will be graduating from DWU this year.    Full list of our Registered Schools and their respective Codes can be found on the BSP website https://www.bsp.com.pg/Personal/Ways-to-Bank/Mobile-Banking/ Schools who want to register as a BSP Mobile Merchant can contact BSP Customer Call Centre on (675) +3201212 | 7301212 or email Servicebsp@bsp.com.pg Meanwhile Saturday Banking for School Fee Deposits only will take place this month and had started Saturday 6th February for selected Branches around the country. Picture: BSP Mobile Banking customer, Edwina Eugino with BSP Madang Branch Branchless Banking Officer - Deryne Dangi.

Buk bilong Pikinini (BbP) has this week launched a website built specifically to support PNG’s school teachers. The website content was first tested on BbP’s 42 Teacher-librarians from the organisations’ Library Learning Centres across the country during a Digital Teacher Training, which took place in December 2020. The digital training program and associated website has been developed in partnership with Deloitte and Deloitte Digital and is valued at more than AUD $100,000. The website is free to use for all and provides access to topics such as basic computer functions, creating and printing documents, introduction to tablets, online safety and using digital learning in the classroom. The website https://www.bbpdigitallearning.org has simple and easy to follow “how to” instructions, many links and guides such as how to use YouTube in the classroom, getting started with Google Classroom, top tips for effective online learning, understanding online risks and much more. Many teachers in PNG have not had the opportunity to use computers and tablets as part of their teacher training and will greatly benefit from this comprehensive and easy to use website. The website covers everything that a teacher will need all in one place but the site can be used by anyone seeking to improve their digital skills. Thanks to the skills teachers will gain from using this website, they will feel more confident and ready to enable their students to safely enter the digital world and learn from meaningful content. The website is the result of months of team work and daily Zoom meetings between the amazing Deloitte Digital team, Deloitte and BbP to purpose-build the site to suit the needs of PNG’s teachers. All BbP’s Library Learning Centres will see the implementation of a new Digital Learning Program in 2021 for the enrolled 5-year-old children. BbP’s Teacher-Librarians have attended the Digital Training Program and will use the website provided by BbP, to ensure they have the digital and online skills and ready to deliver the program. Anne-Sophie Hermann, Buk bilong Pikinini Founder & Chairperson said: “We are so thrilled to be able to introduce such a comprehensive website and digital training program to teachers across PNG. We will be looking forward to hearing from those using the new website and training many more teachers over the next couple of years. We need to ensure teachers in PNG can fully take advantage of what technology and digital learning can offer and pass this knowledge on to the next generation. We have greatly enjoyed working with Deloitte and Deloitte Digital volunteers to develop this customized website and training program and would like to sincerely thank everyone involved.” Pete Williams, Deloitte Digital said: “With the explosive growth of mobiles and recent investment in digital infrastructure in Papua New Guinea we believe that building the digital capabilities of teachers and students will create a new era in education.  Digital education content and books that are freely available on the internet can be made accessible to schools across the country. It is crucial that teachers and students understand how to take advantage of the opportunity.  Expanding our existing partnership with Buk Bilong Pikinini will make this a reality and scale the fantastic work they are already doing. The Deloitte Digital team have put their hearts and souls into building the website and are really excited to be part of this collaboration.” Benjamin Lee, Managing Partner Deloitte PNG said: “Deloitte has a longstanding relationship with Buk bilong Pikinini that has benefited both of our organisations but, most importantly, so many PNG children for whom the best possible education is so important. A digital platform that takes advantage of new technologies can clearly facilitate new ways of both teaching and learning across the board. The focus has been on traditional literacy, but digital literacy, which is key to many employment opportunities, is also now more accessible than ever. We look forward to seeing this initiative into implementation and give children an even better opportunity to learn and reach their potential.” Leanne Resson, Buk bilong Pikinini, Exceutive Officer said: “We have been fortunate to have books and teaching and learning resources over the last 12 years in order to establish a solid foundation for the children who attend our library learning centres. We now acknowledge and appreciate the need to merge traditional and digital learning. This website and training program will enhance teachers’ and community educators’ skills in digital learning. We are grateful to all our partners who have supported us in making this happen”. The Digital training program and website has been made possible thanks to the support received from Deloitte/Deloitte Digital, ExxonMobilPNG, PNG Air, Cogniss, Paddy’s Hotel, Niunet and the PNGAus Partnership.

Imagine having to care for over 400 plus children all the while juggling a full-time job and carrying out three mobile school programs. While over-whelming, this is the life of Collin Pake, the founder of Life Care PNG a charity organization which has for the past 15 years helped looked after and cared for disadvantaged street children. Collin was sharing his struggles amid triumphs with Trukai Industries representatives who were on hand to deliver 300 kilograms of rice over at his Gerehu stage 1 residence on Tuesday. While thanking the company, Collin says that the rice will help him and his family run the center which to date has 45 residential kids with a further 400 plus that come in for regular feeding and support. The organization boosts a legacy which Collin shared has been the main motivating factor that has pushed him to continue with his work. Collin says that with 6 of his Cares now in university, and others coming up in high school and upper and lower primary, he welcomes help and support from many of his partners. Trukai Industries since 2015 has helped the organization with a total of 6 tonnes of rice to date, a donation which the company has maintained as part of their support to Life PNG Care under their TruCare, Trukai Industries’ corporate social responsibility brand. On hand to hand over the rice was Trukai’s Marketing Manager, Maryanne Tom who was happy to show support to a worthwhile cause. Amid Covid-19 restrictions, Collin says that his organisation has struggled to maintain support but thanked Trukai who has been consistent in supporting his work to date. “I aim to give each of the children under my care, a family system that they can grow under, each support I get is much appreciated as it goes a long way to help care for these kids,” Collin said. Trukai Marketing Manager_Marryanne Tom and Life PNG Care Founder_Collin Pake

The Papua New Guinea National Research Institute (PNG NRI) was honored to have the new Minster for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology and Sports, visit the campus on Friday last week. Wesley Raminai joined the PNG NRI Council Acting Chairman, Mr. Wilson Thompson and members of the PNG NRI Council during its first meeting of the year, where he was briefed on the Institute’s roles, responsibilities, functions and key activities. While congratulating Mr Raminai on his recent appointment, Mr. Thompson briefed him on the PNG Knowledge Hub Precinct development and on how the PNG NRI is positioning itself in supporting the Marape-Basil Government going forward. “The Institute’s research is organised under eight Research Programs, conducting research aimed at addressing the key economic and social issues facing PNG, as envisioned in the PNG Vision 2050; Development Strategic Plan (DSP), 20102030; the Medium-Term Development Plans (MTDPs); and other relevant and topical development issues,” Mr. Thompson said. He said in addition to providing advice on better public policy outcomes and improved service delivery, the PNG NRI research team is also engaged in policy development and analysis in collaboration with key government agencies. For example, the recently held National Land Summit in 2019 with Department of Lands and Physical Planning; Department of National Planning and Monitoring; and Department of Treasury. A key contribution of the PNG NRI to public policy analysis has beenthe offering of the popular annual Economic Policy Analysis Course (EPAC) since 1989. Mr. Thompson assured the Minister that the Institute remains focused and would ensure its work addresses PNG’s long-term development challenges. He said the focus for the next three years is captured in the Institute’s new 2021-2023 Corporate Plan, which is intended to synchronise with the Government’s planning period; that is completion of the current MTDP in 2022 and commencement of the new MTDP in 2023. A new Coporate Plan will be developed to synchronise with the new MTDP going forward. “The Council sees the importance of the Institute in aligning its plan with the term of each successive government. In this manner, we become more responsive to the priorities of the government of the day and to align our research accordingly and provide solutions to problems as they arise,” he said. Mr. Raminai assured the Council that he would support the work of the Institute during his term. He took on board the challenges faced by the Institute in terms of staffing and budget cuts. He said that the country is going through tough times in terms of the resources and because of Covid-19 and other problems faced in the country. The Minister also raised concerns about population growth, which is about 3% per annum, and the negative implications on the country if opportunities are not provided for the youth to be meaningfully engaged in the economy. In particular, there is a big question on the quality of education of students going to higher education and eventually the workforce. There is a needto ensure high quality education outcomes for both social and economic development. With regards to the role of his Ministry, the Minister stated that the Ministry he leads is a big Ministry and he will try his utmost best to lead the coordination of the Institutions under his ministry for better outcomes.“The Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science, Technology and Sports is a big ministry. There is so much to do and my office will try its best to work with the universities, with PNG NRI and the research institutions and all other agencies within the HERSTS Ministry.” He urged the PNG NRI Council to provide leadership for the Institute to conduct research into areas like tribal fights, challenges in the education sector, corruption, and the PNG political system. “There are so many issues to research. We have other research institutions in the country and I have to see how we can all come together and work on a way forward,” Mr Raminai said. The Institutions will need to work together to focus on research that will address the main issues facing the country and with the outcomes of research being used for informed decision making to improve the welfare of people. Caption: PNG NRI Council Acting Chairman Mr. Wilson Thompson briefing Minster for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology and Sports Hon. Wesley Raminai on the Institute’s roles, responsibilities, functions and key activities.

After a season disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, this year looks promising for our Barramundis, Lewas and Garamuts. As players, administrators and fans settle back into their respective programs, Cricket PNG cannot help but consider the possibilities that will come in 2021. This year promises to provide plenty of opportunities for the growth and development of cricket in the nation, bookended by their first appearance at an ICC World Cup, the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India.Even though the previous year had its hurdles, notably the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 provided a solid platform to launch PNG cricket into the next decade! Cricket World Cup League Two, Women’s World Cup Qualifying tournaments, and the 2020 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup may have been postponed, but everyone involved at Cricket PNG from administrators, staff, players, and volunteers have a tremendous amount to be proud of including: BSP School Kriket Program In July 2020, at the height of the COVID pandemic and with domestic sport suspended, there was some good news for Cricket PNG. The BSP School Kriket Program was awarded the Gray-Nicholls Participation Programme of the Year, its second, the first coming in 2010.Barramundis Damien Ravu, Nosaina Pokana and Lega Siaka, and Lewas Kaia Arua, Brenda Tau and Vicky Ara'a all started their cricket journey with the BSP Program. The BSP School Kriket Program aims to introduce school children to the game of cricket, with a focus on Preschool to Year 8. Beginning in 2010 in Port Moresby, NCD, the program has grown into 11 more provinces throughout the Highlands, New Guinea Islands, Momase and Southern Regions of Papua New Guinea.The program will continue in 2021, adhering to government mandated health and safety protocols. Success of the inaugural Men and Women’s National Cup National Head Coach Joe Dawes said, “We attempted something different in 2020 with the introduction of 50-over and 40-over cricket for the Men and Women’s (respectively) national development programs. With one eye firmly placed on the the qualification pathways to the Men’s 2023 ODI World Cup and Women’s 2022 ODI World Cup tournaments, the introduction of the Isuzu National Cup was a chance for the men and women to test both their physical skill set and mental apptitude leading up to their respective tournaments. We are proud to say both tournaments were a success that we can use to build on for 2021. So, what does 2021 have in-store for Cricket PNG, the Barramundis, Lewas and Garamuts? BARRAMUNDIS (MEN) The clear standout for 2021, is the Barramundis participation in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India. Our ‘Barras’ have waited an extra 12 months but the excitement levels are still sky-high for their debut at an ICC World Cup.Even though playing the World Cup in Australia would be just as grand, a historic debut in India, where cricket is considered a religion, can only raise pulses even higher. This does not consider the different conditions than what Head Coach Joe Dawes and the Barramundis had prepared for in Australia. The build-up to the October tournament is just as important and exciting for cricket fans in Papua New Guinea. There are two Cricket World Cup (CWC) League Two tri-series scheduled to be played in Papua New Guinea against Scotland & Oman then Namibia and the USA in 2021. These ODI fixtures will play a vital role in preparing for the T20 World Cup, giving players time and opportunity to hone their skills with both bat and ball, and prepare to deal with the playing under pressure against high quality opposition. Head Coach Joe Dawes said, “There is an array of experience in our opposition for these CWC fixtures, including ICC Associate Player of the Decade, Scotland’s Kyle Coetzer and the USA’s Ali Khan who has played in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Pakistan Super League (PSL) and Indian Premier League (IPL). Most importantly, our CWC matches against Oman will be a dress rehearsal for our first match of the T20 World Cup. If we can clean sweep Oman during the series, it will give us an edge for that match on the 18 October. We know that winning early fixtures can really set us up for the tournament, so any advantage we can get over our opposition lifts our chances of going through to the next stage.”There is plenty of cricket for the Barramundis with the Men’s 50-over Isuzu National Cup and Men’s T20 Smash tournaments. The second edition of the Isuzu National Cup will serve as proving ground for current squad members keep practicing and honing their skills and provide an opportunity for players outside the squad to stake a claim for a spot in the T20 World Cup squad, and the squad looking ahead to the qualifying pathway for the 2023 ODI World Cup, also set for India. Head Coach Joe Dawes said, “The more 50 over games we can play, the better the Barramundis will get at the T20 format of the game. Practicing in the nets can never really replicate match scenarios, so with our international fixtures spread out throughout the year, it becomes more important for the Barramundis to play more longer form cricket. Come August, we will play the T20 Smash tournament, as we ramp up our preparations for the T20 World Cup in October. The Barramundis and High-Performance staff will have learnt plenty from the CWC and National Cup fixtures, and this will be one of our final opportunities to finalise preparations for the World Cup squad.” Lewas (Women) There is plenty to look forward to in 2021 for our National Women’s team, they went so close to qualifying for their inaugural World Cup in Australia in March last year, this will drive their motivation to go one step further in 2021. National Coach & High-Performance manager Joe Dawes believes an injection of youth and working on the Lewas strength and conditioning for the 50-over format in the lead-up to the ICC Women’s ICC World Cup Qualifier will bring success.” We are committed to achieving World Cup qualification for the Lewas. After narrowly missing out on qualification for the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia, we reviewed our programs and have put in processes which we believe will take us to the next level. Our players and coaches are focused on realising that dream of qualification for the One Day World Cup”. To that end, the Lewas Women’s World Cup Qualifier will be played in Sri Lanka, mid-year, against Bangladesh, Ireland, Pakistan, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Zimbabwe, USA and the Netherlands with the top three teams then progressing to the World Cup in New Zealand. Last year, the ICC and Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) announced that women’s T20 cricket will make a historic appearance at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, scheduled from 28 July to 8 August. Cricket PNG CEO, Greg Campbell said, “Cricket PNG looks forward to working with the Papua New Guinea National Olympic Committee once the ICC announces the format and details for the Commonwealth Games qualifiers. A number of athletes from boxing, swimming, and weightlifting have proudly represented PNG at the Commonwealth Games, and we hope we can do the country proud as well, by qualifying for the Games. This will help put cricket on the national radar and we hope encourages young girls in the country to pick up a bat and ball and begin their journey to becoming a Lewa.” Before the year is out, there is an East Asia Pacific (EAP) regional qualifier for the 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup scheduled between 3 – 8 September in Samoa. This tournament is set to be played between Cook Islands, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Samoa and Vanuatu. Garamuts (Under 19s Men) The fourteenth edition of the ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup is set to be staged in the West Indies in 2022. Eleven teams, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, West Indies, and Zimbabwe have qualified after their top 11 finish in the 2020 edition of the World Cup As announced by the ICC, 34 teams are set to compete in five regional qualifiers, Asia, Americas, East Asia Pacific (EAP), Africa and Europe to book at ticket to the Caribbean. The Garamuts, in the EAP qualifier, will compete against Indonesia, Vanuatu and hosts Japan between 28th of September and 4th of October. Head Coach Joe Dawes said, “There is plenty of fantastic young talent in and around domestic cricket in PNG, and the qualifiers present an opportunity for those young men to showcase their talents and move up onto higher honours with the Barramundis. We are up against Japan, who won qualification for the 2020 edition, so we will be using them and the Barramundis debut World Cup appearance as motivation to go one step further, to seal a berth in the 2022 Under 19s Men’s World Cup.”

“BSP is expecting a much improved 2021 backed by significant key projects expected to proceed in the near future, despite 2020 being a difficult year for individuals and businesses,” said BSP Group Chief Executive Officer, Robin Fleming, when releasing the BSP Economic & Market Insight December 2020 quarter  publication this week. Mr Fleming highlighted that dealing with the implications of the Covid-19 global pandemic was both a major challenge and significant achievement for the bank in responding positively to a difficult year. “Global economic output is expected to expand by 4% in 2021 but remain more than 5% below pre-pandemic projections whilst PNG economic growth is projected to recover to 2.5%.” He outlined the following supporting views as presented in the quarterly publication: Global economic growth is expected to expand by 4.0% in 2021, after shrinking by-4.3% in 2020. Global growth is envisioned to moderate down in 2022 to 3.8%, weighed down by lasting damage from COVID-19.Advanced economies are projected to recover, with growth reaching 3.3% and 3.5% in 2021 and 2022 respectively, on the back of pandemic containment, aided by widespread vaccination and sustained monetary policy accommodation, which is expected to more than offset the partial unwinding of fiscal support.Pacific region is expected to recover by 1.3% in 2021, contingent on how quickly travel and trade restrictions are resolved, according to the ADB’s December Report. The economies of Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu are expected to recover in 2021, but remain below 2019 levels. Samoa, Tonga and Cook Islands are expected to continue to struggle, with travel bans and different forms of containment measures remaining in place.PNG’s Economic growth in 2021 is seen to recover to 2.5% vs a 0.4% increase in 2020. Mr Fleming added that PNG’s growth is expected on the back of the major projects proceeding in the near future. “Major projects such as the Wafi-Golpu valued at K18.4b have received environmental approval and the Papua LNG fiscal stability agreement has been signed by all parties. This also includes the planned resumption of Porgera Mine in the near future which will provide immediate Foreign Exchange relief. The global rollout of Covid-19 vaccinations in 2021 will permit some normalcy to international travel. This will in turn provide much needed support for the hotel and airline industries,” Mr Fleming concluded.

Goilala MP William Samb said ethnic clashes in the nations capital, Port Moresby is nonsense and unnecessary and condemned in the strongest possible terms the recent ethnic clash between people of Tari and Goilala which led to the tragic death two men. “This nonsense of Goilala and Tari people fighting has to stop. We have to put a stop to it”, said Mr Samb. Mr Samb apologized on behalf of the people of Goilala District to the family of the deceased and said that the perpetrators involved in the killing will be apprehended and dealt with accordingly. A meeting was held this afternoon under the Erima Flyover Bridge to solve the issue over the death of two (2) men over the weekend. The MP for Goilala said the lives lost during this death were unnecessary and he is disgusted by the manner in which these people were killed.  He added asking the Police Force, the Goilala community and the people of Erima to help identify and find the perpetrators involved. “To the culprits behind this killing, I want you to come forward, show yourself peacefully and don’t try to run away from the law”, said Mr Samb Mr Samb addressed the Erima Tari Community who attended the meeting on the process and program of the ‘Haus Karai’ (House of Mourn) and how the deceased were to be taken care of. “We will be visiting the Haus Karai to see how things are going and to make sure the Haus Karai is short and the deceased are laid to rest”, said Samb He said he is hopeful that after the burial of the victims, a suitable venue can be identified to organize a reconciliation ceremony that will involve the Tari Community and Goilala Community in Port Moresby to come to a compromise over food and put an end these ethnic clashes. Central Province Commander, Mr Tapp Opai appealed to the people of Tari and Goilala to find peace. Central Provincial Police Commander Tapp Opai addressing the crowd at Erima Flyover. “Incident at 2 Mile, we hear Tari and Goilala, incident at Koki, we here Tari and Goilala, incident at Erima, we hear Tari and Goilala and this is not good”, said Mr Opai He said if you don’t go out looking for trouble, nothing bad will happen to you , but if you do and you are in trouble, it then becomes a law and order issue because it will then involve everyone in the community. Erima Tari/Hela Community Spokesperson, Mr Roy Ambuari said that if you are a Tari person living in Erima, 5 Mile, 8 Mile, 9 Mile or around NCD and you are provoking this kind of behavior, Port Moresby is too big for you to be causing such issues like this. “Don’t bring in your conflicts or troubles from Tari into the city”, ended Mr Ambuari. Present at the meeting was Member for Goilala, Mr William Samb, Central Province Commander, Mr Tapp Opai, Officer In Charge for Badili Police Station, Senior Constable Mr Moses Pio, Erima Tari Spokesperson, Mr Roy Ambuari and the Erima Tari Community.