Papua New Guinea was well prepared for the 2008 financial crisis, as it had reduced its debt and had some room to manoeuvre. The country’s obligations dropped from around 70% of GDP in the early 2000s to about 20% a decade later. This, in part, explains why the crisis was so short lived, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB). However,...
Despite some weak headline numbers, Papua New Guinea’s economy is set to see a recovery in 2017. Depreciation of the kina and the shortage of US dollars have slowed imports and led to pockets of strength. Robust activity at the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) level and in the informal sector is being observed, while key statistics,...
Getting the books to balance will be a significant challenge for Papua New Guinea going forward. Although the country has made some deep cuts in expenditures, it will be years before the government takes in as much as it needs to operate. The authorities have few options in the short term other than carefully balancing interests. As it works...
To date, Papua New Guinea has dealt with its economic challenges relatively defensively. It has instituted deep spending cuts to get the budget balanced, maintaining or increasing outlays only where vitally necessary. While the results have been impressive in terms of absolute numbers, the response is conventional. PNG has remained...
Papua New Guinea comprises the eastern half of the largest tropical island on Earth, along with hundreds of smaller adjacent islands, combining to form less than 0.5% of the world’s total land area. Culturally, linguistically and environmentally diverse, PNG is considered a true frontier when it comes to economic diversity. There is ample...
With an election in 2017, the year is proving to be a challenging one in Papua New Guinea. The economic downturn following the completion of the PNG LNG project has resulted in criticism of the current government, amid accusations of mismanagement. Despite this, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill secured a fourth term in Parliament, winning 78% of...
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