Papua New Guinea

The retail sector in Papua New Guinea is showing signs of resilience despite challenges in the wider economy. Slow GDP growth, tight household budgets and a lack of foreign currency have created a difficult environment for trade stores, shops, supermarkets and malls: sales at some of the country’s bellwether retailers have fallen as much as 50...

New blockchain solutions and devices are being trialled in Papua New Guinea as part of the government and central bank’s efforts to foster greater financial inclusion. A number of initiatives are already under way as global tech firms move to develop the country. Additionally, as many APEC member counties also experience low financial...

Given the expenses associated with visiting Papua New Guinea, the government is focusing on attracting more tourists via cruise ships and developing niche segments that appeal to global adventurers.

Papua New Guinea’s fertile soils are instrumental in the lives of the country’s residents, both as a source of income and nutrition. The agriculture sector has constituted between 25% and 40% of GDP over the last four decades, while supporting the livelihoods of around 85% of the population. Despite the sector’s importance, however, the...

Blockchain – the distributed-ledger technology that underpins cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin – appears set to transform a wide variety of industries and perhaps fundamentally change the way business is conducted across the global economy.

While Papua New Guinea’s economy remains dominated by the agriculture, fisheries, forestry and extractives industries, tourism has been identified by government actors as an important source of economic diversification and sustainable development. With around 462,840 sq km of largely untouched land, a wide variety of indigenous flora and fauna...