U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) supported over 115 women from mining impacted communities in Ramu District Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, to access financial literacy training. From February to April 2023, Erusta Bill, a certified local trainer under the USAID’s partnership with the Center for Excellence in Financial Inclusion (CEFI), conducted training mostly for women in the basics of financial literacy. Participants now have a better understanding on savings and budgeting; foundational skills for creating new enterprises and increasing household and personal financial security, particularly for women. The training will also promote a savings culture and help improve management…
Author: Emmanuel MAIPE
In the early hours of Monday morning, June 19, Dirio Central Province Power Station was the target of a security incident. Dirio and its contractors are cooperating fully with police enquiries. As there is an open investigation into this, no further details can be provided at this time. Dirio notes that during the security event, supply from its power station to the Port Moresby grid was disrupted, however Dirio was able to return to its normal dispatch levels from late Monday morning.
Barrick (Niugini) Limited (BNL) and the Internal Revenue Commission of Papua New Guinea (IRC) are pleased to announce that BNL, Barrick Gold Corporation, and the IRC have settled all disputes and issues relating to old Porgera tax matters on terms satisfactory to the parties. Although BNL and Barrick had the option of appealing the objection assessment, the parties resolved to settle the matter amicably in the interest of reopening the Porgera mine. The settlement enables BNL and the State to reopen Porgera as soon as other pending matters are finalized. BNL would like to express its appreciation to the IRC…
The Highlands Regional Youth Games (HRYG) is set to be hosted in the month of September and already things are moving forward in preparation for the event. District sports officers from the Highlands region gathered in Mt Hagen during the weekend for a consultative meeting to host HRYGs in September. The Regional Youth Games (RYG) or Grassroots Sports is a new sporting concept, which was devised under a tripartite arrangement with the National Youth Development Authority (NYDA), Papua New Guinea Sports Foundation (PNGSF) and Department of Community Development, tailored to bring sporting opportunities down to the Local Level Government (LLG)…
The Member for Rai Coast Open wants the government bodies responsible for mining and environment to investigate what had happened at Ramu Nico’s Basamuk Refinery in Madang, which she claimed is now affecting the people in the area using the sea for their food source. Member Kessy Sawang said that acidic slurry from a burst pipe due to an accident at the refinery, has leaked into the sea and is damaging the marine life in the environment. She said that accident occurred in mid- May. There have been reports as well of people becoming ill after eating fish that were…
BSP Financial Group (BSP) Chairman Robert Bradshaw paid tribute to Sir Kostas Constantinou, who recently passed away. “Sir Kostas Constantinou passing is a huge loss for the business community in PNG and across the Pacific region,” Mr Bradshaw said. “As Chairman of BSP for 12 years, many of us at BSP were able to personally witness Sir Kostas’s drive and warmth and benefit from the wisdom he so kindly shared with others.” Sir Kostas joined the BSP Board in 2009 and was BSP’s Chairman from 2011 to his recent retirement in February 2023. During Sir Kostas’s time as Chairman BSP…
The recently conducted Taxpayer Mapping exercise by the Internal Revenue Commissioner (IRC) in Port Moresby, was not just targeting the businesses owned and operated by Papua New Guineans as claimed by many in the public. The IRC Commissioner Mr. Sam Koim, who had to come out clear on this in a statement to concerns from the public on this exercise, said that some have expressed concerns that the exercise is unfairly targeting locally owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or should be targeting businesses owned by foreigners. “We would like to clarify that the Taxpayer Mapping exercise is not intended…
The Minister for International Trade and Investment, Richard Maru is backing the Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) signed between the United States (US) and Papua New Guinea (PNG), citing its benefits for trade and investment between the two countries. “Papua New Guinea’s commercial interest is not being compromised by the Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) and it will not affect trade and investment of our country as far as I am concerned,” said the minister. Minister Maru said this in his statement in parliament this week during the debating of DCA between PNG and the US. “There is no need to talk…
The Government is looking into strengthening the Office of the Public Solicitor to assist aggrieved students and members of the public take to court new government decisions they feel have contravened the Constitution or the laws of the country. Prime Minister Hon. James Marape revealed in Parliament on Thursday his government was looking at this avenue to help students file their complaints and seek legal interpretation on new government decisions they felt were against national interest. PM Marape was responding to a question raised by Member for Nipa-Kutubu Dr. Billy Joseph who asked if there were any measures available to…
Work on the Ramu 2 Hydro power project will still commence to supply the much needed energy supply to both Morobe and the Eastern Highlands provinces, and parts of the Highlands region. Prime Minister (PM) James Marape gave the assurance to this in Parliament this morning during question time. PM Marape said the government is in full support because of the huge benefits the project will unlock for the people in the two provinces. “The project will unbundle clean and hopefully, cheap power to the most populated areas on the grid, ” said the PM. “We’ll have close to 4…