Economy

On paper, the 2015 budget, delivered in late 2014, was a solid financial plan. It anticipated PGK13.9bn ($5.3bn) in revenues and called for PGK16.2bn ($6.1bn) in expenditures, leading to a high but manageable 4.4% budget deficit.

Papua New Guinea established a sovereign wealth fund in 2012, and while the original law was delayed and greatly revised, it is set to be implemented by mid-2015, with the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) proceeds flowing into the fund by 2016.

With 2015 growth predictions ranging from 6.9% to 21%, Papua New Guinea may end the year as the fastest-growing economy in the world or as simply another fast-growing economy. The country may be able to spend as planned, make the necessary and desired investments and build for a sustainable future, or it may find itself scrambling to maintain...

While Papua New Guinea is one of the most open developing economies in the world, with low tariffs, national treatment for foreign investors, bilateral investment treaties and few closed sectors, new policies could be introduced that would make the environment less liberal and welcoming. So far, the status quo remains and companies are free to...

Papua New Guinea is in the process of restructuring its state sector in order to make it more efficient and to finance necessary capital expenditures. A wide range of options are being explored, from public-private partnerships (PPPs) and privatisations to an extensive rejigging of national assets.

Despite Papua New Guinea’s low ranking in the World Bank’s “Doing Business” survey, it regularly draws foreign capital in the billion-dollar-a-year range. The country is attractive for a number of reasons. It remains one of the most liberal economies in the developing world, offering national treatment and few restrictions on investment. It is...