Steamships has announced the appointment of Mr Vele Rupa as General Manager Corporate Affairs replacing Mr David Toua who moves on to be Chairman of the Central Bank of PNG and Principle Private Sector Advisor for Abt Associates. Mr Rupa joins Steamships from Mineral Resources Development Company (MRDC) where he was seconded to the State Negotiating Team working on resource projects like Papua LNG, P’nyang, Porgera, Pasca A and more recently Wafi-Golpu. Vele brings to Steamships a deep understanding of the resource industry having worked with both the Department of Treasury and ExxonMobil in the past. The addition of Mr Rupa to the Steamships Executive Management Group at a time when there are high expectations for resource-driven growth is timely. He leads Steamships corporate communications, community engagement, corporate development and sustainability teams and provides a central link between significant private sector business and the State and with the broader business community.  Mr Rupa was educated at the Port Moresby National High School before going on to earn a double degree in Political Science & Public Policy Management from the University of Papua New Guinea.   As Steamships welcomes Mr Rupa, it also acknowledges the decade-long contribution of Mr David Toua.  Mr Toua has been an excellent ambassador for Steamships, and as Chairman of the APEC Advisory Committee for Papua New Guinea.  David’s deep commitment to Steamships and to the development of the company and of the general business community is widely acknowledged and his recent appointment as an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) is a fitting recognition of that work.  We wish him continued success in his future endeavors and his legacy will continue for many years within Steamships as he provides inspiration for our future leaders.  Steamships’ time in Papua New Guinea has seen it evolve into seven distinct businesses that span three industries: property, hospitality, and logistics. The can-do spirit that has made Steamships a PNG leader is imbued in everything we do. Our success has been built on creating sustainable shareholder value through long-term investment, development, diversification, operational excellence, and good governance.  At Steamships we believe that every day brings the potential to do things better than yesterday. We don’t just do business in Papua New Guinea, it’s our home.

The United States Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), announced USD $5 million (17.8 million Kina) in support to the Government of Papua New Guinea’s ongoing COVID-19 response. Announced by USAID’s visiting Deputy Mission Director for the Pacific Islands and Mongolia, Betty Chung, this support includes USD $1 million in technical assistance to support the National Department of Health and key development partners to implement planned activities under the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism. USD $4 million will be used to install comprehensive liquid medical oxygen systems at Port Moresby General Hospital and Angau General Hospital in Lae. USAID Deputy Mission Director Chung said, “USAID is proud to partner with the Government of Papua New Guinea and other key stakeholders to strengthen the country’s health system and mitigate the impacts of COVID-19. I’d like to acknowledge our goodwill and partnership with the National Department of Health, National Control Center, and the COVID-19 Vaccine Ministerial Task Force. The milestones we have achieved to date would not have been possible without your strong commitment and enduring partnership.” In response to Deputy Mission Director Chung’s announcement, Executive Director of the Task Force Api Kassman said, “We welcome the continued commitment from such a key partner as the United States. In particular the sustainable and long term focus of the investments that are being made. Strengthening technical capacity and health system infrastructure remains a priority of the government now and into the future. Building back better requires such sustainable investments that seek to benefit all of health, for all of Papua New Guinea." With this assistance, the U.S. government, through USAID and the U.S. Department of Defense, has provided more than USD $24 million (85.7 million Kina) to address COVID-19 in PNG. USAID support has helped the country implement internationally recognized infection prevention and control strategies, strengthen laboratory systems, vaccination rollout in the NCD, Madang, and Central provinces, case management, surveillance tracking, and trainings for PNG’s healthcare professionals about COVID-19 prevention, care, and vaccination. This assistance is part of a global campaign by the United States to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic and support equitable access to vaccines for the world’s most vulnerable. The U.S. is committed to partnering with PNG and other Pacific Island countries to end the COVID-19 pandemic, mitigate its devastating social and economic impacts, and build back a world that is even better prepared for future outbreaks.

The SP PNG Hunters will travel to North Ipswich Reserve this Saturday, 2nd July at 3pm to take on the Ipswich Jets in Round 13 of the QRL Hostplus Cup. Saturday’s match up presents as a winnable game for both the Hunters and Jets, who currently sit in 12th and 14th place respectively on the QRL premiership ladder. With finals fast approaching, the two points on offer this weekend are invaluable as both sides look to keep their 2022 season alive. The Hunters have everything to play for on Saturday following a disappointing outing against the Northern Pride in Round 12, two weeks ago. The PNG side were shocked right from the outset by a lively Pride outfit led by fullback Julian Christian, who set up a try in the opening minute and ran away with it from there. With a week off in between games to prepare for the Jets on Saturday, the Hunters will come out with a point to prove in Round 13. It's a completely different story for the Ipswich Jets, who come into this game on the back of their first win of the 2022 season in Round 12 against the Souths Logan Magpies. Halfback Lachlan Cooper had a day out in that game, setting up three tries and kicking five from five off the tee to help the Jets to a drought breaking victory. With a similar squad named to take on the Hunters this weekend, the Jets will be full of confidence in notching their second win of the season on Saturday. The last time these sides met was in Round 2 last year, with the PNG Hunters coming away dominant 44-22 victors. Current Hunters’ skipper Keven Appo (29 tackles) was tireless in defence in that game, while Sylvester Namo (115 running metres) was immense playing from the bench. Both players will be key to the Hunters’ chances again this weekend. Player(s) to Watch The PNG Hunters mightn’t have played last weekend with the QRL observing a weekend off, but it was anything but for eight Hunters and a host of our coaching and playing staff taking part in the PNG Kumuls’ gripping Test win over the Fiji Bati last week. Wartovo Puara Jr, Solo Wane, Dilbert Issac, Sylvester Namo and Emmanuel Waine all suited up for the Kumuls last Saturday while Terry Wapi, Junior Rop and Sherwin Tanabi made up the extended squad, and all eight players will bring invaluable experience and confidence back to the Hunters camp this week. Alongside the Hunters’ host of representative players taking the field this week, Round 13 also marks the return of veteran forward Ila Alu from a shoulder injury sustained in the preseason trials. Named to make his first appearance of the 2022 season from the bench on Saturday, Alu will provide this young Hunters squad with great leadership and experience around the ruck against the Jets. Coach’s Comments Head Coach Matt Church says there is no room for complacency as his side takes on the 14th placed Ipswich Jets on Saturday. “We’re expecting a very hungry footy side that is looking to win,” said Church. “We need to be detailed in defence and ensure we win the collision this week to give ourselves the best chance.” On the slated return of Ila Alu, Church said he was looking forward to seeing him back out on the park. “It’s a credit to our performance staff and to Ila’s professionalism that he has come back according to schedule. His leadership and experience will be invaluable to us in the back end of the season,” said Church.

Papua New Guinean entrepreneurs are being invited to enter the Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC) to connect to a global community of entrepreneurs and for a chance to pitch for a share of US$1 million (over K 3 million) in prizes plus additional investment opportunities and in-kind support. The Kumul Foundation Inc is the official lead partner and organizer in Papua New Guinea for Entrepreneurship World Cup Papua New Guinea which will feed start-ups into the global competition, through a partnership recently forged by Chairman Anthony Smaré at the Global Entrepreneurship Conference in Saudi Arabia in March this year. The EWC will be contested by 400, 000 entrepreneurs from idea stage to growth stage across 200 countries with an aim to strengthen start-up eco-systems across continents. “Papua New Guinea is an emerging start-up entrepreneurial ecosystem and to grow, PNG entrepreneurs need to connect with international entrepreneurial networks to learn, to form connections for ideas and investment, and to validate their start-ups. So I encourage as many start-up entrepreneurs who have exciting start-up companies in PNG to apply!” “We will have a national pitch competition, where winners will share in K30,000 in prize money, and get a chance at advancing further into the international competition, and hopefully we will have a Papua New Guinean start-up or two considered for the final list who will go to Saudi Arabia to pitch for the global prize in November later this year”. But EWC is not just a global pitch competition with a shot at life-changing prizes. It elevates entrepreneurs from all stages—idea-stage, early-stage, growth-stage or beyond— by providing them with tools and resources to grow their venture. All applicants will receive access to EWC Accelerates, a virtual training program that helps entrepreneurs hone their skills and increase their chances of winning their national competitions and advancing to the Global Finals. The EWC online platform also offers all contestants who start an application access to $1,000 worth of perks. All founders who complete an application will receive access to more than $25,000 worth of perks. PNG applicants will apply through the global website www.entrepreneurshipworldcup.com . Applicants will be on-boarded and segmented into categories according to their stages; idea, early and growth, and will be invited to participate in Accelerate 1 to learn from a series of virtual training opportunities and sharpen their skills at pitching. The National Finals competition for PNG will be held in September in Port Moresby. National winners will then move onto a boot camp and are considered EWC Group Stage contestants. The top 100 global winners will then advance through to further training sessions and eventually have the opportunity to network directly with potential investors. The top EWC100 will receive $100,000 in in-kind services from partners such as AWS, Freshworks, Google Cloud, Hubspot, Stripe, Zoom and more The EWC100 will also be enrolled in the GEN Starters Club, providing a global peer network, mentorship and other support services to help members reach their full potential. In October, all global finalists will be invited to participate in an intensive, virtual start-up boot camp and the top EWC100 will advance to pitch live at the EWC Global Finals held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in November 2022. The Entrepreneurship World Cup is hosted globally by the Global Entrepreneurship Network. There will be several information seminars held over the course of the next month for those who wish to find out more in person about EWC. The Kumul Foundation is currently putting together the panel of judges from investors and stakeholders in the PNG ecosystem as well as recruiting partners for sponsorship, prizes and investment in the start-ups. The judging panelists, sponsors, media partners and investors will also go into the global network and benefit from the opportunities to access training and investment opportunities globally. Companies and investors that are interested to become partners with EWC Papua New Guinea can email nedi@kumul.org for more information. The Entrepreneurship World Cup is produced by the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN), backed by a broad collection of entrepreneurial support organisations and strategic partners. As a supporter of GEN and national host of the Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), the not-for-profit Kumul Foundation is creating a pathway for local entrepreneurs to access to a global platform with world class opportunities to take their entrepreneurial journey to new heights.

Ballot papers for New Ireland is being distributed into the two respective electorates of Namatanai and Kavieng in preparation for polling. This sees ballot papers for Namatanai being delivered under tight police security into the Namatanai open electorate. According to Election Manager and Provincial Returning Officer, Mr. Benjamin Kliawi, 31 boxes containing a total of 55 750 ballot papers is distributed to Namatanai electorate while 21 boxes holding 42 950 ballot papers for Kavieng Open remains in the holding container at the Kavieng Police Station. Both electorates have a total of 52 boxes which contains a grand total of 98,700 ballot papers for New Ireland province. Kliawi further confirms that with the ballot papers distributed to Namatanai, a total of 82 ballot boxes were also distributed, 41 of which are for Namatanai open and 41 for the Provincial seat. Chief of Security for the Province, PPC Chief Inspector, Felix Nebanat confirms that police have been doing 24/7 monitoring and securing of the sensitive materials since its arrival last week Tuesday 21st June. Nebanat says upon the electoral office's request, police had to secure the perimeter of the storage container and oversee the extraction of the ballot papers that were distributed to Namatanai. "The sensitive materials are transported under heavy escort along the 4 hours stretch of the Buluminksi highway to ensure they arrive safely in Namatanai," Nebanat said. Meanwhile Kliawi thanked PPC Nebanat for the close protection and securing of the sensitive materials since its arrival last week. He (Kliawi) also thanked the CEO Administration Mr. Moses Taram and the administration for the support given to his office so far. PPC Nebanat appealed to the voting populace of New Ireland, candidate scrutineers, police scrutineers and other appropriate personnel, to make it their business to know the number of ballot papers there is for their respective LLGs and their districts. "It is critical that you must know the total number of ballot papers so that you can do your personal quality check and or cross examination with the number of ballot papers when it comes to counting. The number of ballot papers shown herewith must correspond with the total number of ballot papers summed during the counting. In that way, you help the police in keeping a tab on the election process in order to maintain transparency,” Nebanat said.

On June 29, the seven clans in the Miruma community of Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) Eastern Highlands Province signed a conservation deed, legally enforcing their rights to protect their land and preserve its biodiversity for current and future generations. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Wildlife Conservation Society, and other organizations partnered with local Miruma community-based organization Wamiufa U5 to help the Miruma community protect their forest, reforest degraded lands, understand wildlife dynamics, and develop conservation livelihood projects. The signing of this conservation deed marks a significant achievement for the Miruma people in their efforts to legally protect their forests. The conservation deed ratifies the Miruma community’s land rights to conserve and protect Mt. Waugareame Conservation Area, an area of about 2603 hectares. By signing the conservation deed, Miruma clan leaders have set a benchmark for similar communities to use their land rights to preserve their unique biodiversity for future generations. Conservation deeds are legally binding agreements that are entered into voluntarily by the community but once signed have the force of law. As part of her first official trip to PNG, USAID Deputy Mission Director for the Pacific Islands, Betty Chung, joined the Miruma village to witness the signing.  “We at USAID want to help communities in Papua New Guinea manage their customary land and sea in a more sustainable way,” said Deputy Mission Director Chung. “We know these natural resources are important to not only your livelihoods, but also to your cultural identity and your future.” PNG has vast tracts of pristine primary forest containing unparalleled biodiversity. The Bismarck Mountain Range, located in the central highlands, is home to the endangered Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo, giant rats, and many species of the bird of paradise. At the heart of the Bismarck Range in Eastern Highlands Province is the remote community of Miruma, comprising seven clans from the Wamiufa tribe with an estimated population of over 4000 people who have a rich culture and passion for forest conservation. Wildlife Conservation Society Country Director, Dr Adrian Tejedor said that this was a milestone achievement in customary landowner empowerment in PNG, one of the world’s 17 biologically megadiverse countries and one of the last frontiers for biodiversity conservation. “Apart from the legal protection of their forest, the communities will enact and enforce rules to ensure that the environment is protected along a new inter-province road that will traverse the pristine montane forest and alpine grasslands of the conservation area,” said Dr Tejedor. Representatives of the Miruma community said the conservation deed represents a significant community achievement made possible with support from USAID, through its PNG Lukautim Graun Program, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the European Union’s Sustainable Wildlife Management project. Community leaders and members of Miruma welcomed the assistance provided through the USAID and EU funded projects. "It has taken a long process to come this far. For everyone to come to an agreement to give their consent for a conservation area alone is not easy. By developing laws to protect what we have in our forests and on the land, is an achievement,” said Mr. Peter Siune, one of the elders in the Wamiufa Tribe. Led by Cardno International, USAID’s PNG Lukautim Graun Program works with government, non-government organizations, community-based organizations, and implementing partners like Wildlife Conservation Society to support rural and remote communities in PNG to reduce deforestation, conserve biodiversity, and strengthen local livelihoods.

The National Government in partnership with the Church Health Services (PNG) has launched the GoPNG Payroll System Roll-Out to Christian Health Service Workforce in Port Moresby yesterday. It’s a milestone achievement for PNG CHS in partnership with the National Department of Health (NDoH), the National Government, Department of Finance and its Alesco Payroll Service and the partners. It means hundreds and  thousands of doctors, nurses, and community health workers with church-run health services will now be on the Alesco Payroll System like other public servants throughout the country. The launch culminated with the first 362 workers with the National Church Health Services (NCHS) receiving their pay with alerts from the banks for those who are on phone banking. It was indeed a joyful occasion where the Chairman of the NCHS Japalis Kaiok expressed his emotions and thanked the National Government, Prime Minister James Marape and his leadership and vision to have the Government-Churches Partnership Program grow and ensure the issue of pay discrepancies and delays for church-run health care workers are a thing of the past. Mr Kaiok thanked Prime Minister Marape and the Secretary to the Department of Prime Minister & NEC, Mr Ivan Pomaleu who was on hand to witness the occasion. Secretary Pomaleu on behalf of the Prime Minister James Marape and National Government thanked the many church health workers both past and present, those living and dead who contributed immensely to the health care of the country whilst working with many of the different church health run clinics, aid posts and hospitals right throughout the country. Secretary Pomaleu said he is happy to join them in this occasion and can see how happy the church health workforce is when their pay will be paid directly into their bank accounts through the GoPNG Payroll System. He acknowledged the Church Health Services (PNG) for their presence and provision of health services in the country. “I am here representing Prime Minister James Marape and more importantly as Head of the Public Service agency to celebrate a milestone with you all in the Church Health Services (PNG). “It, the church, runs health services which include aid posts, clinics, health centers, nursing and community health worker training colleges, and others like HIV/VCT training and counselling centers, that is so important that I recognize and acknowledge your work. “You have invited the Prime minister, and even though the Head of Government is not here with us, I am more than happy to be part of your achievement and our collective effort towards the provision of health care for our people and am happy to be with you all today,” he said. Secretary Pomaleu said the Government fully supports and is so happy with the work they do to fit in areas where the Government is unable to reach the people and or partner and support the government in the health care provision. He shared a personal experience as a child growing up within a family where his parents were involved in the church health services and his dad in the Education Sector. Secretary Pomaleu said he can remember growing up by living on whatever food their family could produce in the garden and relied on fresh water and continued the work to provide education and health care to the people. “I am a firm believer that what I am saying is what you are and in your own situation you can reflect the kind of work you do that most of the time go unnoticed but the God Lord will reward you all one fine time. “I believe that the Lord said in the book of Exodus that in the 3rd and 4th generation you will live to see some of the fruits of the work and I can say that in your generation you may not see it all, but the next generation will live to see the hard work you do and what we have just launched. "That in itself is the pride that we all must share, our future generation will reap the fruits of our hard work as called upon by our creator and Lord above, to care for the sick, anoint the ill and look after the elderly and sick, in providing basic health care and treatment. “So on behalf of Prime Minister Marape I thank you all for your work and the National Government is happy to help out in ensuring that the Church Health Service workforce is put on the GoPNG Payroll System to stop some of the pay discrepancies and issues faced by our hard working nurses, doctors and community health workers under the many churches we have in our country. “Many of our health workers who work in the church health services throughout Papua New Guinea will be happy and of course celebrating knowing that for the first time. “For the first time we can guarantee the regularity of an income for your work. For the first time you can plan for your family’s financial needs as there is an income on a fortnightly basis,” said Secretary Pomaleu. He said that he was more than happy to share the joy and celebration with the Church Health Service workforce. Secretary Pomaleu said the Government makes laws, sets policies, sets the directions but often times it is the CHS that turns these policies into reality by delivering the health services that are most needed by our people in the rural parts of our country. “Let me remind you all that often times your hands are the only hands that actually touch the lives of our people in our country. “So under the theme: Recapture Christ’s Vision and Mission is toward the delivery of quality health care services, it is fitting for our health workers to emulate the feet of Jesus Christ in making some sacrifices but the commitments to provide health care services to people in most remote parts of our country and that is why we are here to celebrate today. “Despite the hardships, the challenges and the lack of attention and support you need and the risks that you face on a daily basis you have continued to serve this country in the most remote parts relentlessly. “I want to acknowledge the dedication and commitment of all church health workers around and across the country,” he said. Secretary Pomaleu also acknowledged the leadership of the Church Health Services (PNG) for their work and needed continued support. “I want to acknowledge you and add here that the country’s health services are not making a lot of progress and it won’t be unless we are able to empower the church health workers. “I want to encourage and inform you that the leadership of this country under Prime Minister James Marape is behind the Church Health Services and that statement is a recognition of the significant development and contributions that our churches have made to the Health Sector. “Where Government cannot go our churches are there and we are indebted and grateful to you all for that great partnership that we have established. “There was a thought that having church health care workers on the payroll was only a dream but now it is a reality,’’ said Secretary Pomaleu. He added that it is not easy to get to this stage and thanked those who worked hard, consulted and made sure that important decisions were made to launch the entry of the Church Health Workforce into the Alesco Payroll System. “It is now the work of those responsible to make sure that we get everyone in the Church Health Services into the Alesco Payroll System and it may be a while so be patient as we will get there. “We thank those who have been involved to get this in to Finance, Treasury, the National Department of Health, and of course the team from the Church Health Services, that this much awaited activity has come to fruition and as we launch this on behalf of Government, the Prime Minister wants to acknowledge you all for having that hard work and vision to bring us to this point. "I offer a word of congratulations to every one of you and it's a long time coming and it's a very important step. "Well done and to conclude I want to say that the place I grew up in had a health center, had one nurse and she worked hard and we enjoyed it." "Continue to serve those in our remote parts and continue the mission you have all been called upon".

The body of the late member for Sumkar, Chris Yer Nangoi was officially handed over by the National Parliament to the Sumkar District to repatriate Late MP Nangoi to Karkar Island. The casket of Late Nangoi arrived in Madang around 4pm yesterday afternoon via POM and was accompanied by his immediate family, the Deputy clerk of Parliament, Basil Kwaramb, Minister for Education,  Jimmy Uguro and Chief Executive Officer of Sumkar District, plus other senior parliamentary staff. Deputy Clark of the National Parliament , Basil Kwaramb while officially handing over the body of Late MP Nangoi to Sumkar District clarified that, the normal process of handing over the body has not been followed due to the absence of the Madang Parliamentarians and Provincial members. Mr. Kwaramb  however explained that , they have to bypass the recognized processes in order for the family and district to carry out their programs at the district level.

Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai says ballot papers that were produced and supplied earlier to Port Moresby for the seven electorates that were split with the creation of seven new ones will be publicly destroyed. He said when Parliament adopted the Electoral Boundaries Commission report in its last Parliament session in May and voted for creation of seven new electorates and have them certified to be included in the 2022 national elections, the ballot papers had already been printed based on the initial request to cover 111 electorates. "Therefore, we had to seek Australia's assistance again through the Australian High Commission to cater for the increase in the number of parliamentary seats and to reprint the ballot papers for seven affected electorates and seven new electorates. The Australian Government through the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby have taken on board our request and we appreciates the opportunity to work the Australian Electoral Commission on this vital election activity," he said. The affected electorates include: Komo-Magarima in Hela Province, Laigaip_Pogera in Enga, South Fly in Western Province, Kairuku-Hiri in Central, Sohe in Oro, Wau-Bulolo in Morobe and Talasea in West New Britian. The new electorates are: Komo-Hulia, Pogera-Paiela, Delta Fly, Hiri-Koiari, Popondetta, Wau-waria and Nakanai. Mr Sinai said the ballot papers for the affected electorates that were delivered to Port Moresby on 3rd and 4th April this year are securely locked away in a container and will be destroyed on Saturday 2 July before polling on Monday in the presence of the media, security personnel and other key stakeholders including from the Australian High Commission. "Let me assure our international partners and particularly the Australian Electoral Commission that the ballot papers that were delivered earlier to Port Moresby for the seven affected electorates are kept safely and will be destroyed before polling. We have about 1,305,000 ballot papers that need to be destroyed', he said. The Commissioner said any rumours and speculations that these ballot papers are already in the wrong hands to hijack the election process is not true and should be disregarded as the Electoral Commission is the custodian of these ballot papers and will be appropriately disposed.

Athletics PNG welcomed home its athletes and officials this week from the highly successful and record breaking Pacific Mini Games in Northern Mariana Islands. The team of 38 athletes and seven officials touched down at Jacksons Airport on the Air Niugini Charter flight and was met by Athletics PNG secretary Philip Rehder who was among the many families and friends to welcome their heroes of Saipan. In welcoming the team at the Homecoming Function held at the TAC, APNG President Tony Green said athletics total medal contribution of 62 to the Team PNG total (including six from Para athletes) was a rewarding achievement for the athletes and coaches who had been preparing for these games over the past two years under very trying conditions brought on by Covid-19 and restrictions imposed by governments and respective sporting and training venues. He added that in his 30 years of involvement with athletics and preparing for many international events, these games preparations had been the most challenging. With athletics once again topping the medal tally in our regional event with 23 gold, 23 silver and 16 bronze, it was very pleasing the hard work and commitment by everyone involved paid off. All athletes’ performances were outstanding as evident in the medal haul and special mention of Lakona Gerega , Karo Iga and the womens 4*100m relay for their national records as well as Gold Medals. Adolf Kauba and Scholastica Herman were two junior athletes who made a huge impression. The team’s performance is also a reflection of their coaches for the effort and commitment they put in. Head coach Brett Green was instrumental in the athletes wellbeing and focus over the period leading up to and during the games. His professionalism and hard work was supported by Subul Babo, Nelson Stone, Philip Kamane and Malcom Limbai Rehder extended special gratitude to team managers Kylie Martins and Sharon Atuai for their tireless work in getting all the necessary travel requirements in place and meeting other Team PNG travel protocols where required. The success of this team was also attributed to the backing of our major sponsors PNG Air and Prima Small Goods. The support of the National Sports Institute, KCH through the PNG Olympic Committee, PNG Sports Foundation were instrumental in enabling APNG to hold training camps and regional and national championships. These events are important in athletes staying focused and healthy throughout the pandemic period where international events were cancelled and we could not gauge our performances against other athletes in the region until these Games.  

The general public is hereby warned that the spread of fake news on social media has reached a level never seen before in PNG. PNG Department of Information and Communications Technology understands the negative impacts of fake news and is closely monitoring through its Social Media Management Desk (SMMD) activities of certain individuals and groups with malicious intent that are going around doing character assassination of leaders using social media platforms during this election period. Character Assassination is a deliberate attempt to destroy someone's reputation, especially by criticizing them in an unfair and dishonest way when they are not present. All candidates, regardless of who they are have their democratic rights to contest the election and must be respected to exercise their rights. The Department hereby strongly warns those involved in spreading fake news to immediately refrain from such illegal activities or find themselves facing the full force of Law.

Nambawan Super’s Annual Employer Conference 2022 attracted nearly 400 Employer representatives from across the country marking the first time Nambawan Super had hosted a significant face-to-face event, since the pandemic was declared in 2020. Nambawan Super’s Chairman Reg Monagi, remarked that the conference this year successfully connected Employers with the Fund, enabling them to understand and provide feedback on the Fund’s new initiatives, upcoming challenges and opportunities available for both Employers and Members. “Since the onset of the Coronavirus Pandemic, we have had limited face-to-face interactions. But as a Fund, we recognise how valuable these are, and are thankful that it is now possible to welcome our Employers in person”, Mr. Monagi said. “Meeting face-to-face with our Employer representatives from the Government, Non Government, private and civil sectors had enabled us to gain more insights and have the quality conversations we needed to have for the benefit of all our Members,” Mr. Monagi said. “As we return to normal, we plan to continue to offer a hybrid of digital and in-person services. Whilst not everyone can access our services digitally, for those who can it saves time and improves their access to the Fund,” he added. Performance Mr. Monagi opened the Conference with an overview of the Fund’s performance in 2021, stating that the results were pleasing after what was a very tough year for the Fund in 2020. “In 2021, we saw great improvements in returns from many of our investments as the global and local markets started recovering from the tough economic climates brought on by the Pandemic,” he said. “Last year, the Fund achieved a net surplus of K526 million which resulted in the growth of its net assets to K8.8 billion and a declaration of a 6.5% crediting rate for our more than 214,000 Nambawan Super Members.” “Another major factor in the Fund’s growth can be directly attributed to our employers as they contributed an incredible K935 million on behalf of their staff, our Members. The Fund also made Benefit Payments totalling K778 million, through Retirement Savings Accounts, Unemployment Benefits, Housing Advances and Lump Sum Payments on exit,” he added. Initiatives The conference also saw several senior Nambawan Super Limited (NSL) representatives present on initiatives that the Fund is undertaking to improve Member and employer services as well as to continue generating good returns for Members. These initiatives include the upgrading of NSL Branches with construction of the new Daru, Kiunga and Wabag Branches set to commence this year; as well as the refinement and roll-out of the Nambawan Employer Pay system to improve the efficiency of employer remittances; and support for Superannuation and Tax reforms in the Country to better protect the Members savings. Challenges Nambawan Super also informed attendees, that the Fund was strongly focused on adapting its operational and investment approaches to counter the slowing of global growth, which is likely to continue into 2023. Mr Monagi explained that the Fund is expecting to encounter a number of challenges in 2022 and in the future, however, the Fund is always actively looking at effective ways to counteract these challenges to deliver the best possible results for their over 214,000 Members. “Global markets have been volatile as they react to the Ukraine-Russia conflict and resulting fuel, and now food shortages. Globally inflation is rising quickly – meaning the cost of living is increasing,” he stated. “Locally there are also several unfavorable conditions in our PNG market. One of the major challenges that the Fund has already encountered, is that of the State imposed a Market Concentration Levy on BSP Financial Group, which is currently before the courts.” “Despite these challenges, which are already affecting Funds in the region, we are working tirelessly to maximize benefits for our Members,” he added. Delivering for Members Mr Monagi, encouraged Members to remember that superannuation is a long term investment and year-to-year there would always be ups and downs. Members however, should be assured that Nambawan Super has always been PNG’s most consistent Fund over the long term and has always delivered good results for its Members. “As a profit-to-Members fund, generating returns for our Members is our highest priority and we are proud to have continuously provided these services for the last 60 years, establishing Nambawan Super as the most consistent superannuation fund in PNG”, he said. “On behalf of the NSL Board, Management and Staff I would also like to extend our deepest thanks to all of you our stakeholders, employers and most importantly to our Members past and present for supporting the Fund throughout our 60 years of service to the people of PNG,” he concluded.