PNGBLOGS

PRESS RELEASE Washington, DC, May 3, 2011 – Today the World Bank Board approved a US$43 million credit for the Papua New Guinea Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Project II (RMRP II). Building on the success of an earlier project, which is set to close in December 2011, this new five-year initiative will continue to support the rehabilitation, upgrading and maintenance of high priority national roads and bridges in the country, and help connect people to vital public services such as healthcare and education. The project is expected to make a significant contribution to the Government of Papua New Guinea’s national road maintenance and rehabilitation program. Lack of reliable roads in the country has affected connectivity, disrupted people’s access to essential public services in many parts of the country and hindered economic growth, as transporting goods and people becomes impossible, unsafe, or exceedingly costly. The RMRP II will rehabilitate roads and bridges in several province

PRESS RELEASE Washington, DC, May 3, 2011 – Today the World Bank Board approved a US$43 million credit for the Papua New Guinea Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Project II (RMRP II). Building on the success of an earlier project, which is set to close in December 2011, this new five-year initiative will continue to support the rehabilitation, upgrading and maintenance of high priority national roads and bridges in the country, and help connect people to vital public services such as healthcare and education. The project is expected to make a significant contribution to the Government of Papua New Guinea’s national road maintenance and rehabilitation program. Lack of reliable roads in the country has affected connectivity, disrupted people’s access to essential public services in many parts of the country and hindered economic growth, as transporting goods and people becomes impossible, unsafe, or exceedingly costly. The RMRP II will rehabilitate roads and bridges in several prov

PAUL BARKER INA Papua New Guinea is experiencing a boom associated with LNG development and record prices for most of its mineral and agricultural products. One might expect the country’s population to be thriving from this, with the benefits extending right out to rural communities. However, whilst some individuals and businesses are certainly doing nicely from prevailing conditions, including owners of urban real estate, most of the population (and many businesses) are either left out, or unable to take advantage of current or forthcoming opportunities, or in some cases worse off (by growing costs, shortages and bottlenecks). The benefits are therefore localised in a few main centres, businesses and households, whilst even the formal sector employment growth (e.g. construction) has dropped away since its peak in 2008. The weak link is a failing State with its severely underperforming institutions, which struggle from poor leadership, poor coordination, low morale, corruption and in m

PAUL BARKER INA Papua New Guinea is experiencing a boom associated with LNG development and record prices for most of its mineral and agricultural products. One might expect the country’s population to be thriving from this, with the benefits extending right out to rural communities. However, whilst some individuals and businesses are certainly doing nicely from prevailing conditions, including owners of urban real estate, most of the population (and many businesses) are either left out, or unable to take advantage of current or forthcoming opportunities, or in some cases worse off (by growing costs, shortages and bottlenecks). The benefits are therefore localised in a few main centres, businesses and households, whilst even the formal sector employment growth (e.g. construction) has dropped away since its peak in 2008. The weak link is a failing State with its severely underperforming institutions, which struggle from poor leadership, poor coordination, low morale, corruption and i

Post Courier THE Government has been urged to come clean on the controversial K125m borrowed from National Superannuation Fund (Nasfund) to finance community projects in Kokopo, East New Britain. Opposition Deputy leader Bart Philemon said the Government must produce the Cabinet decision that approved the “loan’’ and also called on Nasfund management to explain on what basis and on whose request the K125m loan to the government was approved. “The Government must justify why the whole nation should carry debts for community projects in one district – Kokopo arising from the issuance of this special purpose securities,” said Mr Philemon, a former Treasurer and Finance Minister. “Did Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare sign the special purpose securities for this community infrastructure project? Or did Treasurer Peter O’Neill sign it? And what role did Department of Treasury play in this deal?” His comments follows the return of Kokopo MP and Communications Minister Patrick Tammur from Sin

Post Courier THE Government has been urged to come clean on the controversial K125m borrowed from National Superannuation Fund (Nasfund) to finance community projects in Kokopo, East New Britain. Opposition Deputy leader Bart Philemon said the Government must produce the Cabinet decision that approved the “loan’’ and also called on Nasfund management to explain on what basis and on whose request the K125m loan to the government was approved. “The Government must justify why the whole nation should carry debts for community projects in one district – Kokopo arising from the issuance of this special purpose securities,” said Mr Philemon, a former Treasurer and Finance Minister. “Did Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare sign the special purpose securities for this community infrastructure project? Or did Treasurer Peter O’Neill sign it? And what role did Department of Treasury play in this deal?” His comments follows the return of Kokopo MP and Communications Minister Patrick Tammur from

PACIFIC SCOOP Friends of the Earth International has backed calls from communities around the world for a halt to the Canadian mining company Barrick Gold’s “destructive practices” in Papua New Guinea and other countries. Campaigners were present at the company’s annual general meeting and joined a protest rally outside the meeting venue in Toronto. Barrick Gold, the largest gold miner in the world, has been the subject of many documented studies of human rights abuses and environmental devastation globally, including in Australia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines and Tanzania. Friends of the Earth International calls in to question the necessity of the Canadian-owned corporation’s gold mining operations. With the vast majority of gold used for jewellery, Barrick’s gold mines on average use more water than the entire bottle water industry in Canada, and this water is polluted with mining waste products such as cyanide, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, selenium, and sulphides. Romel de Vera, coo