FIRST CENTRAL HOTEL SUITES PO Box 9970 Barsha Heights Dubai, UAE T: (971) 4 454 4900 F: (971) 4 454 4901 www.central-hotels.com info.fc@central-hotels.com Rooms: 524 rooms, including 179 classic one-bed rooms, 13 classic two-bed rooms, 199 classic studios, 13 two-bed studios, 40 twin studios, 48 executive studios, 24 executive one-bed rooms and eight executive twin rooms. Business &…
Policymakers in Papua New Guinea are accelerating efforts to regulate the informal economy, after an audit found that it accounted for around one-fifth of GDP. The “National Informal Economy Audit Report 2018”, the first such study by the Department of Community Development and Religion, released on September 10, valued the informal economy at PGK12bn ($3.5bn). This is equivalent to approximately…
The former minister of finance, James Marape became the eighth prime minister of Papua New Guinea on May 30, 2019 following the resignation of his predecessor, Peter O’Neill, after eight years in office. In a break with O’Neill’s approach, Prime Minister Marape struck a somewhat nationalistic tone in his first speech to Parliament, and afterwards told media that his government would focus on…
While economic diversification is expected to improve the business climate and incentivise investment, stakeholders are concerned that possible legislative changes may result in Papua New Guinea failing to reach its potential in attracting foreign capital. Investment Inflows Foreign direct investment (FDI) in PNG has increased in recent years. Total FDI stock amounted to $4.5bn in…
Despite being struck by a deadly earthquake in the first quarter of 2018, PNG managed to successfully stage the APEC Leaders’ Summit in November of that year, a meeting which resulted in the signing of a number of trade and investment agreements that are expected to have a significant economic impact. While investor appetite remains subdued as a result of high operating costs, regulatory obstacles…
Efforts to improve the business environment and promote private investment in non-extractive sectors ramped up in 2018 with a new development plan and clearer fiscal priorities. Prior to the pickup in international commodity prices that year, a lengthy downturn in global demand, weak agriculture performance and production halts at key mines weighed heavily on revenue. In August 2016 the administration…
Papua New Guinea issued its first sovereign dollar-denominated bond in September 2018, a major achievement for the island nation. Ongoing structural reform and market-focused policies played a key role in attracting foreign capital that year, and the $500m instrument has since led to a steady flow of dollars into the market. In addition to increasing foreign exchange reserves, the debut bond has been…
In an effort to diagnose limitations across Papua New Guinea’s banking industry, a joint review team has conducted a comprehensive health check of the financial ecosystem. Following a series of intensive studies by the World Bank and IMF beginning in 2011, as well as efforts by the Department of Treasury and the Bank of PNG (BPNG), bottlenecks were identified in a handful of areas, including in capacity,…
Insurance has an important role to play in disaster and climate risk management in Papua New Guinea, helping to ease the fiscal burden of extreme events such as earthquakes and floods. Timely and predictable payouts after such events can be highly beneficial in terms of improving investor security; however, current insurance penetration rates remain low. Ring of Fire Given PNG’s location…
One factor that is hindering labour productivity and long-term growth in Papua New Guinea is the poor state of public health – although the picture is slowly improving. Advancing the country’s primary health care system is a priority for both the social agenda and economic plans, with the target to achieve universal health care a key part of the Development Strategic Plan 2010-30. A number of challenges…
