The Marape and Rosso government welcomes The Japanese Development Industry (JDI) to help in the Master Planning of the new Special Economic Zones (SEZ) throughout the country; therefore, they are keen to restart work on Pacific Maritime Industrial Zone (PMIZ) in Madang Province.
The initial ground breaking ceremony for PMIZ project took place about 10 years ago, however no progress has been done so far.
Minister for International Trade and Investment, Richard Maru and Ambassador of Papua New Guinea (PNG) to Japan Sam Abal, arrived yesterday in Madang accompanying the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Japanese Development Industry (JDI) Soichi Kobayashi, to visit the proposed Marine Time Industrial park sight at Vidar area as part of their visit.
CEO of (JDI) Dr. Kobayashi, accepted an invitation by Prime Minister James Marape during a meeting with him at Tokyo last month to help develop new (SEZ) Master plan for the country.
Minister Maru during their visitation to Madang, stressed that they are here to see if their is a possibility to turn the PMIZ to be part of the Special Economic Zone.
Minister Maru said that the government has enlisted the Japan Development Industry (JDI) to look at all the SEZ and to evaluate which ones are more viable and then to recommend to the government which development path to follow.
“The government does not have to build the PMIZ Park, however we can just be able to invite private sectors (JDI) to build it, own it and then charge the investors who will be using it,” Maru Said.
Minister Maru said that it is a way out for the people of Papua New Guinea as the project will generate millions of Kina and provide forty-thousand job opportunities.
Meanwhile, Ambassador of PNG to Japan, Sam Abal thanked the Marape and Rosso government in recognizing the (SEZ) in the country.
Ambassador Abal added that what the current government is doing now is to set in place the ability for foreign companies to come in by government promotion.
” It is something that all leaders down to the grassroots, must support this project in going ahead,” Abal said.
He said that it is almost 50 years since Papua New Guinea gained it’s independence, therefore the country must seek economic independence so that the people in villages can benefit more.