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The launch of 3G and 4G in 2014 should provide new revenue streams in the telecoms sector, and the focus in the near term will be on improving data capacity and network quality. Growing demand for digital services and the commercialisation of access to Gabon’s second submarine cable are helping to lay the foundations for a rise in activity in the ICT sector. This chapter includes an interview with Alex Bernard Bongo Ondimba, Managing Director, National Agency for Digital Infrastructure and Frequencies (ANINF).

This chapter examines the legislation in Papua New Guinea that affects enterprises and investors. It focuses on the laws that encourage investment, on the creation of a new environment protection authority and on the rules governing the registration of business names.

This chapter examines Papua New Guinea’s taxation rules, outlining the government’s focus on improving tax compliance, new double tax agreements recently signed and current corporate taxation guidelines. It also contains a viewpoint from Jonathan Seeto, Managing Partner, PwC.

Papua New Guinea’s health care system is delineated in the National Health Plan 2011-20, which places a distinct emphasis on the provision of basic care for the country’s poor and rural population. A new free primary care programme, launched by the government in 2014, eliminates all user fees from medical centres and clinics, with the aim of making basic health care free for all Papua New Guineans. The shortfalls in PNG’s health sector are numerous and the reasons complex. Many of the challenges are linked to obstacles in other sectors, such as transport, infrastructure, manufacturing, education and security. It will be difficult for the health sector to improve without concurrent improvements in these areas. The international community is contributing and playing its part to help PNG improve its health care delivery, facilities and services, but there is room for more activity, especially from the private sector. As PNG sees its population increase, the demand for education at all levels is also rising. The country is starting to build the infrastructure and train the educators necessary to cater for this large group of students. However, the sector is still in its early days, and outside assistance and investment is very much welcome in terms of funding and managerial assistance. This chapter contains an interview with Dr Amyna Sultan, CEO, Pacific International Hospital.

Across its four regions and 22 provinces, Papua New Guinea contains an impressive diversity of linguistic, ethnic and cultural groups. From the coasts of autonomous Bougainville to the rocky peaks of the Bismarck range in the highlands, and from the dense quarters of the National Capital District to the remote and less-inhabited tributaries of Western Fly Province, these areas – even within themselves – show a high degree of geographical, cultural, and political variety. Among the most dynamic patches is the province of Morobe, on the north-east coast, due north of Port Moresby. This region is PNG’s industrial heartland, as well as a thriving commercial hub. Its capital, Lae, is also an educational centre and the staging point for transport into the highlands and beyond. Through its port, Lae connects the farm and mineral produce of the interior with the busy shipping lanes of the South Pacific. With abundant natural resources and a strategic location, Morobe is likely to benefit considerably from PNG’s economic growth in the near to medium term. This chapter contains a viewpoint from David J Alcock, CEO, Mainland Holdings; and an interview with Kelly Naru, Governor, Morobe Province.