Category Archives: Papua New Guinea

Losing my way, and finding it again

Losing my way in a foreign land like Australia does matter a lot to me.

Oh my God!” This is not happening as I was to go for work experience after spending over five weeks here, since I arrived in Melbourne.

On ABC News set, Sydney

I was trying to make my way to 3CR situated in North Fitzroy a community radio station to take up my work experience and ended up at St Kilda where the tram stops and returns to Melbourne’s central city.

Well for me personally is just another learning experience, in attending the APJC Fellowship.

So how useful will the skills and knowledge I learnt translate into realistic developments?

Business and economic reporting are key areas, where lives of everyday Papua New Guineans and I have an influential position to make a change.

I feel that I now can go back and make a fresh start and also share my experiences with my fellow media-colleagues by running  an in-house workshop.

Christopher Zinn of Choice Magazine

I am grateful to AusAID through APJC, in ensuring I was well looked after in ensuring I got here safely and my entire stay in Australia.

The professional tours in Canberra and Sydney provided us with much comprehensive idea as to how institutions like the World Bank, Asian Devlopment Bank,International Financial Corporation play their roles in seeing developing countries achieve the best outcomes through funded programs.

As captured in the Westlife boyband song, ….so I say a little prayer and hope my dreams would take me there,” it has been a dream come true for me.

It has indeed been an invaluable lifetime experience and well wishes for the next group who are coming up and do hope it will be an interesting topic that will be covered.

Life-changing experience

Being a young radio journalist, I guess my training in Melbourne is worth it.

The five-week fellowship at the Asia Pacific Journalist Centre did provide the foundation of a life-changing experience.

With focuses on improving business reporting with various guest speakers and specialist media professionals provided an insight into the lives of ten Asia-Pacific media officers.

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Mobile Journalism may come in handy

Provided with the latest technology in the market at present will come in very handy for a journalist like myself.

Mobile journalism

by Samuel Toposona myself.

I am simply referring to iPhones and iPads and the list goes on.

I only came to learn of this new technology following a five-week training by the Asia Pacific Journalism Centre in Melbourne, Australia.

Well I guess most people would have some knowledge of this, but I found it very helpful and at the same interesting. Continue reading

Tough doing business in PNG

Doing business in Papua New Guinea is a challenge for people who know it as an idealistically resource rich country.

However, statistics from Doing Business, an online website of the World Bank and International Finance Corporation reveals that PNG’s economic ranking is far below most other Pacific island countries like Solomon Islands, Fiji and Vanuatu.

Fiji is two steps ahead with a ranking of 104 while Vanuatu back three places at 107 is not far in translating into real opportunities for business.

Currently the country is ranked 103 compared to Solomon Islands on 96, raises issues in terms of considering PNG as an ideal business location.

Apart from the delay in issuing business permits, other factors like high income tax and the protection of investors were noted.

Over 183 countries were surveyed as conducive business areas for firms to start business and operate.

A review in the country’s current reforms in conducting business reforms may result in more job opportunites and benefits once in full operation.

Ends…

Doing business not easy in PNG

William Ire is a betelnut vendor who sells his wares each day, from betelnut, cigarettes, soft drinks and biscuits near his home at 5 Mile in Port Moresby, and has been doing this for the past 8 years.

And now William says he wants to venture into selling second hand clothes, which has become a lucrative income earner for many locals wishing to start small businesses in Port Moresby and other parts of the country, because there is a big demand for fashionable, yet affordable clothing in PNG.

Second hand clothing. Image by martu-mq

William says he has saved up enough capital, over K8,000 to venture into this business, and getting a loan won’t be a problem, because he has saved with Micro finance, who provide loans for starting businesses, and who by chance, charge a very low interest rate.

However, he says, the business may take along time to open its doors, because there are a lot of processes involved in setting up a business in PNG, and true to his word, this is the scenario being faced in the country at the moment

Statistics on Doing Business in PNG, which is a report provided by the International Finance Corporation and World Bank, which measures Business Regulations of different economies, ranks PNG 103 out of 183 countries on the ease of starting a business.

This is mainly due to the long process in filling out paper work and seeking approval from various Government departments like the Lands and Physical Planning, Environment and Conservation and even the health department for licenses to be signed, and also registering the company and getting the tax authorities approval, will cost more money, meaning William maybe paying almost half of his savings to get all these licenses approved and register his company has well.

Williams plan of opening a second hand shop maybe a problem, as well, because he has to fill out more forms with customs to import clothing from Australia, which could take another month or two and cost more money.

So William like many Papua New Guineans and potential business investors from overseas at the end of the day, have to get through so much processes and procedures in order to open a business , which puts locals at a disadvantage, because most may not have enough capital to pay for all the costs , on top of that they will have to wait along time to eventually get their businesses off the ground.

PNG can become a number one fish supplier

by melastmohican

What can PNG offer when it comes to the fishing industry?

This may seem a rather challenging as how the country can be competitive in the industry.

However the country has seen significant changes while a positive outcome for tuna industry in PNG is hoped to boost the industry following an agreement for  PNG tuna exports to enter European Union markets including Fiji earlier this year.

Known as the European Partnership Agreement it hopes to reduce poverty and create employment opportunities and allow for tuna in PNG to be exported to EU markets without any tariffs

by Imperfect Image

charged.

The latest annual catch for the Pacific now stands at 67 percent of the world catch while Papua New Guinea is noted to be one of the richest fishing grounds in the world.

Despite being so rich in tuna stocks in Papua New Guinea there is an enormous challenge in terms of resource management.

Environment impact on these fishing resources poses a risk to the livelihood like that of the Nautilus/Solwara 1in the New Guinea Islands proposed to be the first ever seabed mining in the world.

With this -tunarich marine resource area mainly for tuna species, the seabed proposed-project has a possibility of threatening tuna species thus affecting supply of fish stocks.

Deemed to be the a potential world number tuna supplier, PNG’s contribution to the fishing industry should be considered seriously as this will have a great impact on the country’s economy.

Current statistics reveal that PNG harvests 4.3 million metric tones of tuna in the world, which means this is 10 percent of the total world catch.

Relatively PNG is home to some of the world’s exotic forests while it also has an abundant fish resources.

On top of these, there is constraints come along in the industry tied with law and order generally high cost of doing business.

Well suggested reforms could pave the way to further improving the fishing dustry like:

  • Reforms to address business impediments
  • More manpower and training capabilities

What more can PNG offer to make the industry look attractive for potential investors?

PNG Fisheries: A gold mine of the Pacific.

I may not be a fishermen, but I provide a great service for the local fishermen in the area, by providing a market for them to sell their catch”.

Wesley Pialkolos is an electrical engineer cum fishing entrepreneur in the New Ireland Province of Papua New Guinea.

What he does each day is buy fresh fish from the fishermen around the island of New Hanover and Kavieng, to sell to hotels in Port Moresby and other parts of the country. And because he has a freezer that he purchased himself, and also pays for the shipping of fish, lobsters and crabs, he provides a great service to the locals.

Mr. Pialkolos is one of many Papua New Guinean’s who have seen the potential of the fishing industry and have ventured into this sector in order to make money and also relieve the stress faced by local fishermen to find markets.

Local fish markets. Image by Dhammika.

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Internet essential for information sharing in PNG

Papua New Guinea is considered the largest country in the South Pacific Islands region with over six million people.

image by Lance and Erin

With an extensive land mass  in the region Papua New Guinea, access to information is a challenge for the average Papua New Guinean.

Despite technology introduced in most urban cities and towns, people living in the rugged and terrain areas still miss out in accessing internet services in PNG.

So really what are ways there for such modern services that can be improved our rural communities?

With so much improvement over the years, companies as the Pacific Mobile Communications company has set the the way forward to providing  mobile phone system and internet gateway since 1995.

Not all individuals would have access to such services while the rest are left out.

What can be done for a  Papua New Guinean in a rural affected with very limited access to internet services?