All eyes will be on Brisbane August 6 and 7, when Papua New Guinea presents its investment credentials to an audience of domestic and international investors. We preview the 2018 Business Advantage Papua New Guinea Investment Conference.

Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and Australia’s Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Mark Coulton will lead a line-up of over 30 experts and business leaders discussing PNG’s investment potential at next week’s Papua New Guinea Investment Conference in Brisbane (6 and 7 August).

The annual conference, which this year takes place at the Sofitel Brisbane Central, promotes business and investment opportunities in PNG to the international business community.

Global opportunities

PNG’s Prime Minister Peter O’Neill

The conference takes place against a global economy that is undergoing significant and far-reaching changes. The minerals sector is gradually emerging from an extended downturn. Global capital flows are continuing to shift towards China, and Asia more generally, while global action to address climate change is starting to ramp up, driven by the 2016 Paris Agreement, to which PNG is a signatory.

In each of these three areas, PNG is potentially in the right place at the right time. Major PNG minerals projects—both in LNG and mining—beckon, while PNG is located in the fastest growing region in the world—a region that this year is taking a much closer look at PNG itself, as the country hosts APEC for the first time.

With sustainability now firmly on boardroom agendas, PNG also has a chance to emphasise its rich potential as a centre for sustainable marine and agricultural production.

Keynote speaker

Mark Coulton, Australia’s Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment

After Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s opening address, keynote speaker Professor Tim Flannery will make a special presentation on the opportunities for business in a low carbon future, outlining how PNG can tap into a range of emerging opportunities across energy, biotech, agriculture, marine produce, construction and more.

Meanwhile, Mark Coulton, Australia’s Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, is expected to give further details of the recently announced Australia–USA–Japan infrastructure scheme for the Pacific.

Delegates will also receive an economic update from the Asian Development Bank’s country economist for PNG, Edward Faber, while a succession of expert panel sessions will examine the investment climate in PNG, the sectors that look ripe for investment over the next decade, and the next generation of PNG entrepreneurs.

‘There will be plenty of variety in the program, from formal talks, to informal panel discussions and short, sharp case studies which will showcase what’s already going on the ground in PNG,’ notes Andrew Wilkins, Publishing Director of conference organiser, Business Advantage International. ‘The five-star facilities at the Sofitel and the high calibre of the delegates are also conducive to quality informal networking.’

Rugby League legend Darren Lockyer will be the special guest at the conference dinner on the evening of Monday 6 August.

Infrastructure focus

Professor Tim Flannery

The twin conference themes of sustainability and innovation will permeate many of the sessions, while infrastructure will be the major focus of Day 2, with infrastructure expert Craig Lawrence presenting a report card on the country’s infrastructure needs.

PNG’s backlog of investment in infrastructure is starting to be addressed. Billions will be spent over the next decade on ports, aviation, energy and roads, bringing opportunities for local and international businesses, and helping to improve national productivity.

High-level speakers such as Carolyn Blacklock from PNG Power, the Asian Development Bank’s country director David Hill and Department of Works Secretary David Wereh outlining the investment program for next decade.

Meanwhile, there will be an exclusive briefing for delegates on PNG’s new undersea fibreoptic cable and Digicel Pacific’s regional Director Paul Statham will outline the prospects for PNG’s telecommunications sector.

The conference is the seventh investment event Business Advantage International has organised on PNG, and follows the success of the first PNG Investment Conference in Sydney in 2017.

For further information or to register to attend the 2018 Papua New Guinea Investment Conference, visit www.pnginvestmentconference.com