Papua New Guinea

With the Covid-19 pandemic set to significantly slow economic growth worldwide in 2020, Papua New Guinea’s industrial sector can expect some headwinds; however, growth is forecast to return in 2021. The authorities hope the industrial sector can benefit from the rebound and help to improve national self-sufficiency in areas such as food production, while boosting export revenues in the process...

The government has demonstrated notable early enthusiasm to boost the ease and transparency of land ownership processes, which should stimulate activity in the construction sector. Recent years have seen the industry hindered by vulnerability to foreign currency shortages, limited availability of land for development, a lack of transparency and insufficient human capital. Ongoing efforts to...

Papua New Guinea’s topography is characterised by mountainous terrain, rivers and around 600 islands. Travelling by road can be complicated and expensive, with many routes in need of maintenance; as a result, the transport of people and goods often relies on sea and air networks, which incur high costs for businesses operating in PNG. The ripple effects of improved transport infrastructure are...

Papua New Guinea’s development has been driven by its resource wealth and, while policymakers are focused on long-term diversification, extractive industries still...

Alongside the upstream energy sector, mining has long served as the backbone of Papua New Guinea’s economy. In 2019 the mining and quarrying sector accounted for 10.3% of GDP and was a major source of foreign exchange earnings. Like the other extractive industries, mining has emerged as a priority for reform under the administration of Prime Minister James Marape. The country has significant...

Papua New Guinea’s insurance market is closely indexed to the country’s economy, which prior to the Covid-19 outbreak in early 2020 had been projected to grow at an average of 3% per year through to 2022. However, the pandemic effectively shuttered PNG for several months, and reduced global demand for the commodities that drive its export earnings. The insurance market therefore faces an...