Nambawan Super Limited (NSL) issued a final letter of notice to the State, seeking payment of its outstanding rental arrears. This after the State’s failure to consistently make scheduled payments for its current rental invoices and arrears amounting to K113 million as at Tuesday, 1 August 2023. These are rental areas for several years by the State Departments occupying NSL’s Revenue Haus, Vulupindi Haus, Eda Tano Haus, Treasury Haus, AOPI Centre and NSL Haus in Lae. Last year, NSL and the State reached an agreement whereby the State would settle the remaining balance of its rental arrears in K10 million monthly instalments. The instalments include K5 million for clearing the balance previously accrued and K5 million to pay its current rental invoices. In 2023, the State has only paid K20 million for the January and February instalments and has fallen behind on its payments by six months as it is yet to pay the remaining K60 million for March, April, May, June, July and August. NSL gave a notice to the State to advise that if the agreement is not upheld with the payment of the K60 million accrued in 2023 before Friday, 4 August 2023 with further consistent monthly payments then NSL will look to conduct another lockout of several State tenancies occupying NSL buildings, in the interest of protecting Nambawan Super Members' from further undue losses. The States non-payment of its rental fees impacts the profit given to Members each year, in a few ways, including: 1. Reduction to Interest to Members 2. Forgoing Opportunities to Reinvest & Reducing Member’s Income. 3. Loss of value on NSL’s properties. NSL is reluctantly considering this option especially as the workers impacted by the lockout are Members of the Fund, however, this action is a result of many broken commitments for settlement of the arrears over several years. NSL endeavours to avoid locking out the Department of Health based on humanitarian grounds, recognising the critical nature of the services that it provides.

Nasfund Contributors Savings & Loan Society (NCSL) has now added another feature to the Member Online Portal that will enable parent members to view savings balance for their children under the Kids Savings Account (KSA) product. This is in line with NCSL’s vision of being the best provider of e-Banking service in Papua New Guinea. NCSL Manager for Member Services & Branch Support, Mr. Noel Keyala said this added feature creates good customer experience for its members and better product proposition for future growth and revenue generation. “Trustees/parents can now view KSA account balance and deposit transactions on their member online access, this was previously not made available.” “This access is also more convenient for trustees who have more than one KSA account, they can view all their KSA accounts with one log in.” Keyala added that this is also a time and cost cutting measure for trustees who would normally visit a branch to obtain KSA statement. To enable this service, parents/trustee will complete an Application Form and submit to member services with copy of their valid ID and child’s image to update. Upon same day registration provided that all necessary requirements are in order, trustees will instantly view and track the KSA account to confirm deposits when logged in. NCSL’s KSA is an interest-bearing account for children under the age of 18 years. Membership is open to any interested child with their parent’s consent. This includes children whose parents are non-ncsl members. The KSA product was introduced in 2014 to encourage young minds to save at an early age.

A couple of commercial rice farm trainees are now in Rigo in the Central Province, to under intensive commercial rice training with Rigo Rice. The five Sepik natives were welcomed to Port Moresby by the Minister for International Trade and Investment, Hon. Richard Maru, and the owner of Rigo Rice, Mr. Jeffery Kennedy. Minister Maru expressed gratitude to Rigo Rice for providing their expertise and training for this commercial rice farm trainees who will be Master Trainers upon completion of their training. They are expected to learn the skills of growing rice from nursery to growing stage, as well as pest control and milling. Part of the training will also involve the use of tractors and other equipment. “After their two months of training they will return to the Sepik Plains where we expect to start the first commercial rice trial farm in November this year,” said Minister Maru. From his experience of growing rice in Rigo for the past 5 years, owner of Rigo Rice, Mr. Kennedy is adamant that Papua New Guinea does not need to import K900 million of rice annually. He is now working on a part of commitment to work with the government to build g a local domestic rice industry that will produce over 400 000 metric tons of rice over the next 5 years. “We must believe in ourselves as the time is right and I am happy to partner the Marape- Rosso Government under the SEZ program to lead this journey.”

Development projects in the Matupit, Matalau, Nordup and Baai wards of the Kombiu local level government in the Rabaul District is progressing well. Contractors have moved in the area to clear the land and make way for power poles to be erected as well as putting in place necessary infrastructure such as roads. Vital services in these communities were destroyed following the twin volcanic eruptions in 1994. But this is about to change with the K4 million Rural Electricity project and K2 million Namanula road upgrade. Locals have been engaged in the clearing exercise along marked areas where the power poles will be established. They have been supervised by the district technical team and contractors. District Civil Works Engineer Mr Mellie Munulai explained that the contractor - Kokopo Plant Hire, have commenced clearance and road upgrade to pave way for the power supply extension for Matupit ward and Matalau, Nordup and Baai wards. He said for the power supply extension covering Matalau, Nordup and Baai, they will follow the Namanula road. Mr Munulai also announced the Namanula road project will get off the ground as the East New Britain Provincial Procurement Committee has completed the tendering process and is ready to award the project. Rabaul District Administrator, Mr Benedict Mode commended the progress work so far saying the positive impacts of power supply and proper road networks will play major roles in enhancing living conditions and supporting economic growth. “The people are excited that government services are finally reaching them and are cooperating with technical officers of the Rabaul District Administration and contractors.

People in Rabaul District of the East New Britain (ENB) province must not purchase or consume any medical drugs that are sold by street vendors or any unauthorized person. This was the call made during the awareness on the illegal sales of medical drugs and its effects, which was conducted recently by the ENB Provincial Authority in the 4 Local Level Governments of the Rabaul district. Speaking during the awareness at Tavui No.1 of Balanataman LLG was the District Health Coordinator Mr. Garry Mano, who highlighted some of the effects of taking medicine sold by street vendors or from unauthorized distributors. Mano said that when people buy from street vendors, they are putting their lives at risk and others who will be taking the medicine. “These people are unregistered or do not have a license to be selling drugs. Some of the medicine could be expired or fake and even not stored in the right temperature, so stop buying from them.” The District Health Coordinator further said that antibiotics are not the correct choice for all infections. He said that currently street sales for amoxicillin are K2 per packet of 4 capsules and added that this is not the right dosage for amoxicillin. “The right dose for amoxicillin is 15 capsules, when you buy less than that, you are being under-dosed. The more you misuse and overuse antibiotics, the more the risk you have at developing drug resistant bacteria.” He added that people must only get their medication prescribed by qualified health workers and not just anyone trying to make some quick cash by selling medical drugs on the streets. Meanwhile, Rabaul District Administrator Mr. Benedict Mode said that the illegal sales of medical drugs have been an on-going issue and added that there might be workers in the Area Medical Stores (AMS) that are accessing and distributing to street vendors. “The AMS supplied drugs are procured only by the Government of PNG through the Medical Supplies Branch. Each drugs have specific batch numbers and brand names,” Mode said. The District Administrators said, interrogating vendors might lead to someone from the Health Authorities. He added that a person caught illegally selling medical drugs can be charged under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and serve up to 12 months' imprisonment or pay a fine of K5, 000. The awareness continues this week covering rural communities and other targeted groups.

Bougainville Experience Tourism (BET), based out of Arawa in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB), also attended the Melanesian Arts Culture Festival 2023 (MACFEST 23) in Port Vila in Vanuatu, to showcase what Bougainville has to offer for tourists. Owner and Manager of BET, Mr. Zhon Bosco Miriona, was thrilled to be part of the PNG contingent to attend the MACFEST 23. This is the second time that Mr. Miriona attended the MACFEST. Mr. Miriona explained that events like the MACFEST were important for Papua New Guinean tour operators like himself, as it gave him the opportunity to showcase and market his tourism products to a market that is largely unaware of Papua New Guinea (PNG). “My goal in attending the MACFEST 23 is to capture international travel agents and encourage more cooperation for business, as well as to connect with my tourism counterparts in Vanuatu, via the Vanuatu Tourism Office.” He explained that people in PNG don’t have an attitude that is geared towards tourism, compared to other Pacific Island Countries. “Because we have other means of earning an income, through cash crops and other natural resources, our people don’t really have an attitude to encourage the growth of tourism in the country.” Mr. Miriona said this situation needs to change, as there is so much potential for tourism for PNG. Representing his tour company, Mr. Miriona was part of a 30-man contingent that travelled to Vanuatu to participate in the two-week MACFEST 23. The MACFEST is a biennial event that brings together artists, performers and cultural practitioners from across the Pacific Region to promote, preserve traditional arts & culture while simultaneously providing a platform for contemporary expression of Melanesian Identity.

Head of the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Cultural Contingent to Vanuatu, Mr. Steven Enomb Kilanda, has expressed satisfaction with the progress of PNG’s participation at the 7th Melanesian Arts & Cultural Festival in Port Vila. He thanked all the participants for showcasing the country’s heritage with pride and great enthusiasm. Mr. Kilanda, who is also the Executive Director of the National Cultural Commission of Papua New Guinea was impressed with the performances and display of PNG’s cultural heritage. He said the delegation that accompanied the Minister for Tourism Arts & Culture Isi Henry Leonard, is made up of persons with high caliber. Included in the delegation were academics Dr. Leo Marai and Dr. Michael Mel, who attended the symposium on the National Cultural Policy 2022-2032, which also covered the Melanesian Arts & Culture Festival. Both academics are also members of the Board of National Cultural Commission. Mr. Kilanda thanked the Chief Executive Officer of the Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority, Eric Mossman Uvovo and his officers for being part of the delegation, enhancing the tourism aspect of the festival. He said he is happy to have brought the biggest contingent, compared to other Melanesian countries, thus reaffirming PNG’s participation as the “big brother” Melanesian country in the Pacific region. He added that the presence and the participation of PNG adds further excitement and meaning to the other Melanesian participating countries. “Our individual artists are doing live paintings, power bands are performing and traditional dancers from West New Britain, Hela and the Autonomous Regional of Bougainville are giving their best, showcasing the cultural heritage of an amazing and unique nation of Papua New Guinea.” Papua New Guinea arts and craft that were on display at the Convention Centre, sold out fast. “We will continue to showcase our arts and culture at regional and international fixtures because ours is the most unique and the biggest in the region and the world.” Mr. Kilanda finished off by saying that PNG has a deep and detailed cultural heritage that is diverse, authentic and unique.

Nasfund Contributors Savings and Loans Society (NCSL) now has available the Self-Service Kiosk or the Biometric Identification System (BIS), after undergoing device enhancements to improve the service offerings. The trendy self-service kiosk has an easy function and is accessible through fingerprint recognition for members to view savings and loan balances, applying for 1:1, 1:2 loans and transfers apart from performing other transactions such as, funds transfers, savings withdrawal and emailing of statements. Electronic Banking Manager, Mr. Gila Ebenosi said he is pleased to have this service back online to help members at the NCSL branches. The Self-Service Kiosk is intended to alleviate waiting time with quicker access to member accounts without having the need to use paperwork and reduce customer ques in servicing members. “Members can do balance checks in less than a minute. For other services it takes less than 5 minutes, and this depends on members and the time taken to navigate and absorb information.” The BIS devices will soon be redistributed to all NCSL branches and strategic locations throughout the country. NCSL is urging its walk-in customers at all branches to have their fingerprints registered prior to conveniently accessing instant services. In NCD, the self-service kiosk is available at the NCSL’s Waigani Branch located on Ground Floor – Left Wing of Lakatoi Haus and Downtown Port Moresby branch to follow shortly.

A review of the PNG maternity laws has been ignited by growing concerns on the fact that the female employees in the private sector are entitled to unpaid maternity leave as opposed to their counterparts in the public sector, and this effectively leads to two sets of laws and policies for women in PNG. This fact has prompted the latest review by the Constitutional & Law Reform Commission (CLRC) to a review on maternity leave with the view to identify existing inconsistences & issues and propose necessary reforms. CLRC Secretary Dr. Matui said Maternity Leave is a very important & domestic issue that must not be ignored. “Particularly for PNG where there is clearly a huge and unfair existing disparity between the public and private sector that needs to be looked into.” Dr. Matui said the primary aim of their recent undertaking was to review the outdated employment laws of PNG, particularly the principal legislation on the Employment Act of 1978 on the issue of maternity leave. “The Employment Act 1978 provides for unpaid maternity leave in the private sector while the Public Service Management Act 1995 and the Public Service General Orders provides for paid maternity leave and other benefits for female employees in the public sector.” He said PNG is one of only two countries apart from the USA who does not provide paid maternity leave as far as the PNG national employment laws and the private sector is concerned. “The associated concerns on termination of female employees on murky grounds, as well as human rights, safety and security issues also prompted this review." The Term of Reference 17: Review of the Employment Laws (Employment Act 1978) – Maternity Leave In PNG, was launched on the 29th of June 2023 together with the release of an Issues Paper that contains the rationale, background, key issues, and discussions. Dr. Matui said the review will focus on key issues but not limited to: · Maternity leave. · Employment contract. · Termination of employment contacts for females; and · Employment of young people. Consultation with key stakeholders and the public in selected provinces will run from the 13th of August to the 30th of September 2023, before a final report is completed and submitted to the Government before the end of the year. CLRC is also seeking any form of submission from the broad sector of the society during the consultation period. “Whilst CLRC understands the nature of the private sector as profit driven, this must not be at the expense and disadvantage of female employees and the importance of life and births.” Dr. Matui said CLRC hopes to work closely with the key stakeholders in the Review to come up with reform proposals that are acceptable and favourable for the changing circumstances in this modern age.

PNG Air has once again, put out a notice to its customers that all scheduled flights into Wapenamanda have been suspended due to recent civil unrest, effective 25th July 2023. The suspension will remain in place for an indefinite period until such time, PNG Air can determine the safe operations of their services back into the province. Currently, they are advising their customers who have purchased tickets for inbound and outbound Wapenamanda travel, to contact PNG Air Call Center team for further advisories. The Airline Company stated they regreted and apologized for any inconveniences this may cause and appreciates customers understanding during this time.

People in Makerupu in Rigo District of the Central Province have lost everything to the recent heavy floods, with a few villagers having to relocate to other villages after losing their homes while others have had to create makeshift homes. This was the sad information given by the Chairman of the Makerupu Natuna Urban Association, Mr. Kila Leka, during the presentation of donations from the Trukai Industries. This donation will support more than 10, 000 villagers from Makerupu in the Rigo District and Paranama in Abau District, following floods that affected their villages and livelihoods. Mr. Leka said the rice donations from Trukai will help many of their people that have lost their gardens by providing the food they need to sustain themselves. The Chairman of the Makerupu Natuna Urban Association Mr. Kila Leka was joined by the Interim Chairman of the Paranama Disaster Relief Group, Geno Pat, in welcoming the donations from Trukai Industries. Geno Pat extended a word of gratitude to Trukai for helping the people when they really needed assistance. Leka echoed Pat’s sentiments describing Trukai’s donation as a blessing to the people of Makerupu Village. “The flood relief support from your organization will go a long way in helping to subsidize food supply for our people until normalcy amongst our people is restored,” Mr. Leka said. Trukai Industries’ Chief Executive Officer, Alan Preston said that Trukai will continue to assist the people of Papua New Guinea. “Our support highlights our company’s strong culture and values built on the responsibility to humanity, the environment, and ethical standards,” said Preston. “Throughout Trukai’s long and proud history, we’ve come to the aid of Papua New Guineans, which is evident through the 1997 El Nino drought, the drought in 2015, the earthquake in 2018, recent floods, landslides and the global pandemic,” Preston added.

The World Indigenous Business Forum (WIBF) is coming to Port Moresby this year, having already secured platinum sponsors in the Special Economic Zone Authority (SEZA) and the Department of International Trade & Investment (DITI). Both the SEZA & DITI have come onboard to sponsor the WIBF PNG 2023 with K300, 000 each. WIBF will run from the 24th to the 26th of October in Port Moresby, where 1, 000 business delegates are expected to attend, with 500 of these attendees being Papua New Guineans. Minister for International Trade & Investment, Richard Maru said the National Executive Council has approved for the Marape-Rosso Government to host and co-fund WIBF this year. “This will be the biggest event that we will host as a country after APEC 2018. Hosting of this event will not only highlight our support for the world indigenous business, but it will also provide an opportunity for us to showcase our Papua New Guinea as the most indigenous country of the world with over 800 languages and a thousand tribes.” He said this will also be an opportunity for our local business to build international networks, create partnerships and also look for markets among all the countries that will attend the forum. “We will use the opportunity to promote Papua New Guinea as an investment destination, a tourism destination, a safe place to do business, open up opportunities for us to build networks to find export markets for our products to the world, and also help us to encourage indigenous businesses from all around the world to come and invest in PNG.” He called on all indigenous SMEs and large companies to prepare well and take full advantage of this one-off opportunity to market their products and services to the delegations from around the world who will be coming to attend this forum. Prime Minister James Marape is expected to formally launch the hosting of the WIBF PNG 2023 on Thursday 10th August, where the highlight will be the release of a promotional video to promote this across the country and the world. Minster Maru is inviting the government entities and the private sector to sponsor WIBF PNG 2023, which will cost about K7 million to host. The Government of Papua New Guinea had taken the lead by approving K2 million to fund this event.