The Minister for International Trade and Investment, Richard Maru has clarified that Papua New Guinea (PNG) currently has only four officially licensed Special Economic Zones (SEZs) while the others are yet to be recognized.
These four licensed zones are Paga Hill, Sea Park, Pacific Lime and Cement and the PNG Trade Centre.
Minister Maru clarified that although four additional projects have received in-principle approval from the National Executive Council (NEC), they are not yet recognized as SEZs because they have not secured licenses from the Special Economic Zones Authority (SEZA). These include the Portside Gardens SEZ, Lae Port SEZ, Caution Bay SEZ and the Finschhafen Integrated SEZ.
He explained that SEZA will only issue licenses once all requirements are met, including securing State land, ensuring access to utilities and demonstrating sufficient funding capacity for development.
The Minister urged developers and management of the pending zones to formalize their status by applying for licenses, enabling investors to access government-backed SEZ incentives.
“You cannot promote yourselves as SEZs until you are licensed,” he said, expressing disappointment that PNG Ports Corporation and Kumul Consolidated Holdings have yet to apply for licenses for the Lae Port and Portside Gardens SEZs despite receiving conceptual approval and government encouragement.
He added that there is already investor interest in both locations.
Meanwhile, six additional SEZ proposals are currently under assessment at different stages.
Reflecting on a recent visit to Shenzhen with Prime Minister James Marape, Minister Maru highlighted the transformative impact of SEZs.
He noted that Shenzhen, declared an SEZ in 1980, has grown from a small fishing village into a global technology hub with a population of over 20 million and a GDP of US$558 billion in 2025.
“This demonstrates the power of SEZs,” he said. “Despite criticism, we will continue to prioritize SEZ development as a key driver of employment and long-term economic growth in PNG. The success of Shenzhen shows the potential SEZs have to transform nations.”
