The Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority (PNGTPA) and Air Niugini have joined forces in a move to further promote the country as one of the best tourism destinations in the world. The two organizations signed a Collaborative Agreement yesterday in Port Moresby with the aim to raise awareness and interests in PNG’s unique culture and natural beauty, and stimulate the growth of tourism in the country. PNGTPA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Eric Mossman Uvovo described this partnership as a necessary tool to promote the country as a tourist destination. "Today (Tuesday 23rd April) marks a significant milestone in our efforts to elevate Papua New Guinea as a premier destination,” said the PNGTPA CEO. “Through this collaboration, we aim to improve the quality and diversity of our tourism products and services, as well as our infrastructure and connectivity to realize the country's full potential.” Both Air Niugini and PNGTPA recognizes the importance of sustainable tourism in PNG, which creates positive impacts for local communities, the environment, and the country's rich heritage; therefore, this initiative strengthens the potential of tourism development in driving the country’s economy and social progress, generating income and employment. The collaborative efforts will be in the form of attractive brochures, flyers, videos, and other materials showcasing PNG’s diverse destinations and experiences. Air Niugini’s Acting CEO, Gary Seddon reiterated the importance of the partnership between PNGTPA and Air Niugini. "At Air Niugini, we recognize our pivotal role as one of the largest players in tourism, and we are fully committed to leveraging this position,” said Mr. Seddon. “Through this partnership, we aim to address the core challenges and drive significant development gains in the tourism sector.” Mr. Seddon also stated that Air Niugini plans to bring in more aircrafts to drive tourism throughout the country. Meanwhile, to address concerns regarding law and order, the collaboration will support campaigns promoting a positive image of PNG, building confidence and trust among potential visitors.

The economy of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is expecting some favourable growth this year and next year due to positive outlook driven by improvements in the mining sector. Published in the recent edition of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) flagship economic publication- the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) April 2024, the report stated that despite economic growth slowing down to 2.0% in 2023 due to decreased production in the resource sector, the country’s economy is set to grow by 3.3% in 2024 due to resumption of production at the Porgera gold mine in Enga province. Meantime, the medium-term outlook for PNG’s economy remains positive, with growth in 2025 forecast to further expand to 4.6%. However, ADB Country Director for PNG, Said Zaidansyah, stated that there are looming challenges nonetheless. “Foreign exchange restrictions and frequent power disruptions continue to dampen activity in the rest of the economy and the fallout from civil unrest in January also clouds the outlook.” The ADB report stated that the reforms to improve the power sector's financial sustainability and generation infrastructure, including increased use of renewable energy and private sector investment, are needed to help address power supply constraints on growth. ADB’s financing plan will include support to address this. The report also stated that inflation is expected to rise from 2.3% in 2023 to 4.5% in 2024 to then pick up even further to 4.8% in 2025, largely because of continued exchange rate depreciation and impact of the recent civil unrest, which saw the increase in the costs for many consumer goods. However, the ADB is hopeful that this won’t further damper things, because the foreign exchange restrictions and the business constraint for PNG, could ease under a new International Monetary Fund (IMF) led program, which is to be established this year. Also, the reopening of the Porgera gold mine should also create additional operation-related spending on goods and services and employment, as well as provide foreign exchange inflows. Nevertheless, the ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members with 49 from the region, and the ADB is one of PNG’s largest sources of official development assistance, with a portfolio of about $1.38 billion.

The magnitude of trade between Papua New Guinea (PNG) and China over the years following trade agreements signed has seen China fast becoming the country’s most important trading partner. That was the statement from the Minister for International Trade and Investment, Richard Maru following his two-hour meeting with the Chinese Deputy Minister of Commerce, Mr. Tang Wenhong in Port Moresby over the weekend. “We are determined to grow and deepen our relationship with China and anchor it through a Free Trade Agreement between PNG and China if our joint feasibility study, which will be completed by July this year, confirms that it is viable and in our national interest to enter into a Free Trade Agreement with China,” stated the minister. “Australia recently signed a Free Trade Agreement with China, but it took Australia over 10 years to negotiate and finalize and sign their Free Trade Agreement. “We have started the process with PNG advancing its K1 million last year to commence the joint study and we are happy that China will make their K1 million available so we can complete the study in July,” Maru said. Although Australia is the biggest investor in PNG with investment valued at over AU$24.8 billion, Minister Maru said Australia hardly buys from PNG, a big contrast to what China is currently doing. Meanwhile, for the past five years, trade between PNG and China has been in favor of PNG with PNG recording surplus balance of trade from 2017-2021. In 2020, PNG exported K6.7 billion, imported K2.6 billion and has a trade surplus of K4.1 billion. China has been ranked 3rd as top export destination for PNG’s merchandise and also ranked 2nd as top import source for PNG, indicating that trade with China is economical. “We have realized that our future in terms of exports lies with China. If both Australia and New Zealand have Free Trade Agreements with China and they are the biggest export markets for these two countries, we must also move in this direction,” Maru said. Minister Maru further stated that after PNG signed the Belt and Road Initiative in 2018, PNG became China’s largest trading partner, investment destination and project market in the region. China’s aided projects such as roads, bridges, hydro-power stations have made important contribution to the economic development and people’s livelihood. “China’s growing economy coupled with soaring domestic demands stimulated by its 1.41 billion people, positions the country as an important source of global demand, hence we are keen to strengthen and deepen our relationship with China anchored on trade and investment,” he said. “I stressed to Minister Wenhong that we are looking for large Chinese investors in invest in our Special Economic Zones in order to fast track the growth of our economy. Our economy will not grow, jobs will not grow, and we will not move forward if we do not have investments.” Minister Maru also welcomed the three flights coming to PNG from China weekly as it will bring a lot of investors and tourists to come from China to PNG. “This is good news, but we must have the products like first-class hotels, and facilities like casino and others to attract the 100 million Chinese tourists to also consider PNG an attractive tourism destination. “China is also inviting us to attend their China Import and Export Fair so we can go and market our products in China. We will be working very closely with the Chinese Ministry of Commerce to secure export markets for our coffee, cocoa, fish, and other products.”

The people of Kiniambu village in the Yangoru Sausia district of the East Sepik province have offered up their land to support the development of agriculture. Kiniambu village is located on the Sepik Plains and the people there have offered to the government 10, 000 Hectares of grass land for oil palm development, which the Minister for International Trade and Investment and local Member, Richard Maru was witnessed to recently in his electorate. “All they (the Kiniambu people) need now is for the Marape-Rosso Government to come good and support them to have the land surveyed, ILGs registered, and a 99-year State Lease title given to their landowner company,” Minister Maru stated. “This will allow them to negotiate with the State and other investor partners to develop a 10, 000-hectare oil palm estate and be able to provide enough land to allow the company to build an oil palm mill in Kiniambu.” Kiniambu Councilor, Mr. Daniel Sinigawi said, “We do not want the Government nor any investor to buy our land. We want the title to be given to the landowner company so we can convert it to equity and be owners of the project on our land.” In response, Minister Maru offered to assist them in their endeavor by seeking funding to have the land surveyed and the ILGs registered, and work with the Department of Lands and Physical Planning to have the title of the land given to the landowner groups or clans under the National Government’s Land Mobilization Project. “It will cost between K500, 000 to K600, 000 to survey and complete all the landowner identification work before a State title can be issued to the Kiniambu people,” said Minister Maru. “Kiniambu village is in the middle of the vast Sepik Plains and will be in the heart of the Sepik Plains Special Economic Zone (SEZ). “Such a project will create over 3, 000 new jobs in Kiniambu and they will see improved Government services including sealed roads, and tax credit funding for their major community projects and needs.” The Minister then assured the villagers that he will talk to the prime minister to secure land mobilization funds to have the survey completed and State title issued to the landowner company so other villages can also join this land mobilization scheme for large-scale economic projects. Meanwhile, the neighboring villages have also pledged to mobilize their land for oil palm development if the Kiniambu project kicks off.

Unfortunately, there will be no AFL National Championships as planned for this year, instead the Papua New Guinea (PNG) AFL Commission has opted to hosting only the Regional Selection Trails to select new up and coming talents to form the senior men's and women's national teams. AFL PNG Senior Football Operations Manager, Mr. Rex Leka, told PNG HAUSBUNG that the decision had to be made to switch to the region selections because of the cost factor surrounding the event. “This is because for the regionals, it will be much easier for athletes to get to the centers to participate, and it will not be too costly.” Mr. Leka said the Regional Selections will be conducted in three regions, starting with the Southern region in early May in Port Moresby, followed by Northern and Highlands Regions combined as one at the end of May, and the New Guinea Islands region in June. The selections will go towards forming the train on squads for the Mosquitoes and the Flames in preparation for the Pacific Cup coming up in November in Gold Coast, Australia. The Pacific Cup will be played this year instead of the International Cup 2024 (IC24). Once again this is due to the cost factor of having overseas teams fly in for the event in Australia. Mr. Leka said the final PNG Mosquitoes and Flames National Teams will be announced either in August or September.

The National Government’s next phase of the relief support for the affected business houses from the Black Wednesday riots will be in the form of concessional loans for the restocking and rebuilding exercise, but government has been asked to reconsider its decision on this. This is because most of these business houses cannot be getting any further loans at a time like this, especially when they have the burden of repaying their other existing loans. The President of the Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce and Industry (POMCCI), Mr. Rio Fiocco told PNG HAUSBUNG that the second batch relief support initial total stands at K250 million and will be made available through the National Development Bank (NDB) with a concessional rate of 2.5% interest. “But, the Chambers of Commerce (POMCCI & PNGCCI) have gone back to the government to ask it to please reconsider this decision because the businesses already have significant loans,” said the POMCCI President. Instead, what they need is a cash grant to enable them to restock and rebuild their shops, including some of the small businesses that were damaged on Wednesday 10th January, 2024. “We are having further discussions with the Chief Secretary’s Office and we are hoping that the NEC (National Executive Council) will revisit that earlier decision to make available by way of loans, and instead convert some of that to cash grants,” Mr. Fiocco said. A further allowance of K500 million to be added to the relief support is also being discussed because it is going to be an extensive exercise that will probably take up to two years for those supermarkets to be rebuilt. Mr. Fiocco hopes that they have another meeting with the Chief Secretary next week to further discuss on this matter. Nevertheless, the POMCCI President said they are pleased that the National Government has finally released the first installments of the relief support funds totaling K40 million for the wage support program. Released last week Friday, the initial businesses affected by the riots and looting like City Pharmacy Limited (CPL) received K5.82 million, Bismillah Holding Limited received K2.5 million and Pypon Holdings Limited received K588, 000 to go towards keeping their employees on the payroll, especially those who are left without an employment due to the shops burnt down. Mr. Fiocco said under the wage support program, each employee will be paid K500 fortnightly, but only for a period of six months.

The illegal settlers residing on the three portions of land belonging to Nambawan Super Limited (NSL) at Bush Wara in 9 Mile just outside the city of Port Moresby have less than 120 days to voluntarily vacate the lands or be forced to move out. It was announced today that an eviction notice was issued last month on Tuesday March 12th following a refreshed court order that was issued by the courts to NSL, which kick started the 120 day grace period that will end on Wednesday July 10th, 2024. NSL Chairman Mr. Reg Monagi said the court order grants NSL the authority to seek assistance of the police and the Sheriff's office to have the illegal settlers removed after the grace period expires, which will be on Thursday 11th July. In giving a brief background on the matter surrounding these portions on land, Mr. Monagi said NSL purchased these lands in 1990, but following the years after the time of purchase, the matter was later disputed by settlers for some time until in 2019 when NSL won the case over its own land in court, and the title was then handed over to the superfund company. He said during the three year period of the case, settlers increased in numbers on those portions of land and since NSL has exhausted all efforts and used up all its resources to remove them after receiving the title, they have now come to this final option. The three portions of concern are portions 2156, 2157 and 2159. However, there is also another piece of land belonging to NSL within the area, but that is still being disputed in the courts. "NSL is taking steps to lawfully secure the vacant possession of its fourth adjacent land portion 2158,' said the Chairman. NSL represents 228, 000 members' interests in those portions of land to develop them, so to have some form of return on investments that would go to its members in the years to come. Mr. Monagi said NSL plans to build a new mixed suburb including an industrial area on the portions of land, aligning its development plans with the National Capital District Commission (NCDC) city plans for Port Moresby. “The development will benefit a wide range of people including our members. It will create jobs and also improve the economy of the country in the long run,” said Mr. Monagi. He added that the value of the three portions of land together is worth K90 million. However, unfortunately Mr. Monagi said most of the settlers continue to defy the instructions to leave and continue to build infrastructures on the potions of land, hence NSL hopes that this time after officially receiving the final eviction notice, they leave peacefully so to avoid any further issues.

The 2024 Regional Talent ID Carnival has started this school term holiday with the Southern Region the first to host theirs for the National Capital District (NCD) and Central province on Saturday, 06th April at the Murray Barracks oval, Port Moresby. The ID Carnival will be hosted in all four regions from Southern, Northern, Highlands to the New Guinea Islands (NGI) by the AFL Talent Academy Team. The Carnivals will involve match- play and testing events as the AFL PNG Academy search for the next wave of talented players to join the Academy Programs across Papua New Guinea (PNG). The ID Carnival is open to youngsters from 13 to 17 years of age, both males and females with each participant required to pay a K20 registration fee. The objective is to find the next up and coming young AFL talents to make the junior national teams- the Binatangs and the Kurakums. The Highlands region AFL Talent Academy Team is the next to host their event today, Monday 08th April. The event will be held at the Tarangau Primary school AFL Oval in the city of Mt. Hagen, starting at 8:30am and ending at 3pm. The Northern region team will host theirs at the Eriku Oval in the city of Lae on Wednesday 10th April from 8am to 3pm, while the NGI team will host theirs on Saturday 13th April at the Muthuvel Stadium in Kimbe town, also from 8:30am to 3pm in the afternoon.

The MS Nautica expeditionary vessel with tourists from the United States of America (USA) on board docked for the first time in Port Moresby city recently after its visit to three other ports in the pacific region. Following its docking at port early in the morning of Good Friday 26th March, over 400 tourists disembarked from the vessel and stepped off onto Port Moresby for a half- day tour around the city. The tourists embarked on a journey through Port Moresby, visiting unique sites that showcased the diverse beauty of the city. From the greenery of Port Moresby Nature Park to the House of Parliament, the journey also included stops at the National Museum, the World War 2 memorial, and the Tubusereia Village. For the adventurous tourists, a hike through the rugged trails of Varirata National Park offered breathtaking views of the areas around the city of Port Moresby. The MS Nautica owned by Oceania Cruises, which had previously visited Samoa, Fiji, and Australia, has a reputation for specializing in bringing tourists to some of the most exotic destinations in the world. Oceania Cruises' Destinations Manager, Antonia Goffredi, said that Papua New Guinea (PNG) holds a special attraction for travellers seeking an adventure. "PNG is a very exotic destination for tourists. It's one of those unique places where tourists want to visit,” said Goffredi. “Despite the negative perceptions sometimes portrayed in the media, when you actually come here, you're enchanted by the beauty of the country.” Goffredi emphasized the overwhelming interest among passengers aboard the MS Nautica to explore PNG. "More than 80% of the passengers on board wanted to see Papua New Guinea, and I believe more tourists will come once they experience the country firsthand,” said Goffredi. Echoing this sentiment, Mr. Eric Mossman Uvovo, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority, highlighted the significant contribution of cruise tourism to the country's economy. "Cruise tourism is an essential part of Papua New Guinea's tourism industry,” he said. “In recent years, we've witnessed a substantial increase in the number of visitors arriving via cruise ships. With strategic marketing efforts, we aim to further boost tourism numbers and position PNG as one of the most beloved tourist destinations in the world,” said Uvovo. The visit from MS Nautica marks its inaugural visit to Port Moresby. Another planned visit to the country is scheduled for November to Alotau.

The country’ consumer watchdog, the Independent Consumer and Competitions Commission (ICCC) has announced the retail price of fuel will decrease this month starting today; however, the decrease is just a slight decrease from the retail fuel price from last month. For the fuel retail prices for Port Moresby city, it’s K4. 66 per liter for petrol, K4. 39 per liter for diesel and K4.05 per liter for kerosene. That’s a 1 toea decrease for petrol, 2 toea decrease for kerosene, and 11 toea decrease for diesel from last month’s retail fuel prices. The Port Moresby retail fuel prices for March were Petrol - K4.67 per liter, Diesel - K4.50 per liter, and Kerosene - K4.07 per liter. The decrease in the retail prices for April are mainly attributed to the slight decrease in domestic freight charges for the second quarter of 2024. The domestic retail fuel prices (IRPs) for this month are inclusive of the Import Parity Prices (IPPs) or the imported costs for each petroleum product, domestic sea and road freight rates for the second quarter of 2024, the annual wholesale and retail margins for 2024, and the Goods and Services Tax (GST), including the applicable excise duties, among other parameters. Meanwhile, the retail prices in all other designated centers will change according to their quarterly approved domestic freight rates for the second quarter of 2024, and their respective annual retail margins for this year. For all other centers, the maximum retail prices for each regulated petroleum product will all decrease on average consistent with the changes observed for Port Moresby city. As part of the ICCC’s enforcement and compliance of fuel prices, its Investigation Officers will conduct inspections to all service stations to ensure prices of declared petroleum products comply with the allowable maximum prices. The following ICCC officers will conduct compliance inspections in Lae, Mt. Hagen, Kokopo and Port Moresby. Inspections in other provinces will be supported by the ICCC Agents and respective Provincial Administration in those provinces.

The Minister for International Trade and Investment has made it clear to the Australian Government that Papua New Guinea (PNG) will not be part of PACER Plus, alluding to trade imbalances between the two countries. Minister Richard Maru made that known in a recent meeting with the new Australian High Commissioner to PNG, His Excellency John Feakes, stating that PNG is not interested due to the unfavorable trade arrangement with Australia. The Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations or PACER Plus is a regional development-centred trade agreement designed to support Pacific island countries to become more active partners in, and benefit from, regional and global trade, as well as to provide commercial benefit to Australian businesses. “I want to make it very clear to the Australian Government that PNG is not interested in the PACER Plus because Australia hardly buys from PNG with trade skewed in Australia’s favor for decades,” said Minister Maru. He said PNG’s exports to Australia in 2022 stood at AU$1.6 billion with over 98% being gold and other precious metals whilst Australia's exports to PNG stood at AU$95.9 million. “So as far as we are concerned, it is pointless to negotiate a PACER Plus Agreement,” said the minister. Instead, Minister Maru preferred to have better trade arrangements that would benefit both countries. “We would rather go into a new comprehensive economic trade and investment bilateral partnership with Australia which also captures other areas of benefits to PNG given such a vast trade imbalance.” That is why Maru said the PNG-Australia Bilateral Trade Assessment is a priority activity for PNG with the final report to be released soon by Centre of International Economics. “We will also be officially announcing our new Honorary Trade Commissioner to Australia at the end of this month in Brisbane,” Maru said, highlighting other avenues to increase trade and investment. “We want to find potential Australian investors through our Honorary Trade Commission to come and invest in our non-extractive sectors like forestry, fisheries, agriculture, and the tourism sector,” added Minister Maru. Despite the issues pertaining to PACER Plus highlighted by Maru, he stated that Australia is still an important trade partner to PNG, and that being so, better trade arrangements should exist between the two countries. “Australia is PNG’s largest trade partner with bilateral trade of over AU$6 billion in 2022 and is a major investor in PNG with investment valued at over AU$24.8 billion in 2022. We are very grateful for this,” said Minister Maru.

The government has finally released the first batch of relief funds for the businesses affected during the Black Wednesday riots with City Pharmacy Limited (CPL) the first recipient. After over two months of waiting following the announcement of the relief assistance by the prime minister, the government started the disbursement yesterday, Friday 05th April, and CPL being a prominent player in the retail sector and one of the severely hit businesses, received the first installment of financial assistance to commence its wage support program. This program aims to bolster affected businesses and safeguard jobs in the aftermath of the looting and property destruction that occurred in Port Moresby on Wednesday, January 10th, 2024. Chief Secretary to Government, Mr. Ivan Pomaleu, reiterated the government’s commitment to provide relief to affected businesses, beginning with the implementation of employee wage support program. “As promised following the unfortunate events of January 10th, our government is standing in solidarity with the business community,” Mr. Pomaleu said. “The initiation of the employee wage support program demonstrates our dedication to ensuring that affected workers can sustain themselves and their families during this trying period.” Pomaleu said the disbursement of the funds marks the initial step of the National Government’s broader commitment to support and rebuild all the affected business houses. “The employee wage support program recognizes the pivotal role of businesses in our economy and seeks to provide them with the necessary assistance to retain their workforce amidst these unprecedented challenges." The employee wage support program will extend financial assistance to eligible businesses to help cover a portion of employee wages for a period of six (6) months. This assistance is designed to enable businesses to maintain their payroll, prevent layoffs, and sustain operations, particularly crucial for the residents of Port Moresby. The Cabinet has decided to help those businesses after working on specific criteria and guidelines consistent with the government’s Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) to deliver this program because of the peculiar nature of the situation that has affected the country. Mr. Pomaleu emphasized that the disbursement of funds is executed transparently and responsibly, as they involve public funds. Expressing gratitude for the government’s support, Sir Mahesh Patel, the Founder of CPL, acknowledged the significance of the employee wage support program in facilitating the retention of employment amid the company’s rebuilding endeavors. “The employee wage support program is indispensable for our company to uphold employment levels as we embark on our reconstruction journey, which may span up to two years." "These funds will enable us to retain the majority of our employees and sustain the provision of essential services to the community,” remarked Sir Mahesh. In response, the Business Coalition, representing affected businesses, commended the government for its prompt response and urge all eligible businesses to submit their claims for employee wage support relief through the PNG and Port Moresby Chambers of Commerce & Industry. Looking ahead, the government’s forthcoming relief assistance will focus on assisting businesses in rebuilding properties and replenishing stolen or destroyed goods, with the Business Coalition anticipating these measures within the next two weeks.