Government to streamline procurement process

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has announced that the government’s procurement process is to be streamlined.

 A committee headed by chief secretary Manasupe Zurenuoc reviewed the procurement process of government and found it to be lengthy and cumbersome.

 This often led to government projects being unnecessarily frustrated or delayed, hindering delivery of vital services to the people.

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill

 

 The streamlined procurement process was presented last month to the prime minister, who directed finance minister James Marape to implement it without delay.

 The prime minister told Marape he did not want to see any more national Government and aid agency-funded projects delayed.

 “It is imperative that the current procurement process is streamlined and made user friendly. 

"If we do not take this action, there is every chance the 2013 national budget will suffer the same fate of successive budget,” the prime minister said in his letter to the minister.

 In addition, the chief secretary’s   review team has recommended for increases in the financial authority of the Supply and Tenders Boards, and financial authority at the district level for the District Support Improvement Program (DSIP).

 Under the streamlined process, the Central Supply Tenders Board authority financial increased from K10 million to K20 million, the Provincial Supply Tenders Board from K3 million to K5 million, and DSIP from K0.3 million to K0.5 million.

The streamlined procurement process has seven stages, compared to 11 stages of the old one.

 The Office of State Solicitor will be involved in the whole process, and give its clearance before the national executive council (NEC) for contracts requiring NEC approval.

 The prime minister directed minister Marape to finalise the special financial instruction or regulation to effect the streamlined process quickly.

 The streamlining of the procurement process is one of a raft of decisions and initiatives the government is putting in place to ensure the 2013 budget and its key policies are implemented.

 “This is one of a number of steps our government is taking to ensure we are focused and on target to deliver our goals,” the prime minister said.

Western province villages want Ok Tedi mine to continue to 2025

By MALUM NALU

Western province villagers numbering more than 100.000 have unanimously agreed that Ok Tedi Mining Ltd (OTML) continue mine operations until 2025, according to managing director and chief executive officer, Nigel Parker.

He said the feasibility study for mine life extension (MLE) was now with government agencies for consideration.

Parker confirmed this yesterday when asked to give the latest on MLE.

“The mine- associated communities, numbering 156 individual villages, located from the mine area down through the Western province to the coast, have all unanimously agreed that the mine continue out to 2025,” he told The National.

Sialowa village on Sturt Island in the South Fly area along the Fly River …villages want OTML to continue until 2025.-Picture by MALUM NALU

“ The community mine continuation extension agreements (CMCEA) were all signed by the nine community region representatives, representing the 156 villages, in early December after a three-year consultation process guided by independent PNG facilitators, government agency representatives, the World Bank, PNGSDPL (PNG Sustainable Development Program Ltd, 64% shareholder in OTML)  and observed by two independent external observers.

“The feasibility study for mine life extension is with the respective government agencies for consideration.”

 Parker said last month at the PNG Mining and Petroleum Investment Conference in Sydney that majority of people wanted the mine to continue operations.

Recently, three MPs called for the closure of the mine, citing the site poses both health and environmental risks.

 Parker said this seemed to be at odds with what the communities wanted.

"The communities definitely wants the mine to continue, and are unequivocal about that," he said.

"I am sure the elected politicians have the communities at heart, and if they do get reports coming through of unidentified medical issues I am sure they would react, and possibly that is why they are reacting so much.

"I have personally signed on the company's behalf those agreements and the people are extraordinarily happy with Ok Tedi Mining Limited, with the continuation of the mine.”

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Whitehaven's new Papua New Guinea prop cleared to travel to UK

News & Star

Whitehaven's new Test prop Rodney Pora has finally been cleared to travel to the UK and should touch down at the Recre next month.

Rodney Pora

 

The Papua New Guinea international has passed a formal English test which was a pre-requisite for being granted a visa.
It’s great news for Haven, who had long-targeted a player they believe can make a big impact in the Championship this term.
“He wasn’t able to sit the English test until the beginning of December, despite the club, the Rugby Football League and UK Border Agency paperwork being in place since early October,” said Haven chief executive Barry Richardson.
“Rodney is now waiting for the issuing of his PNG visa which could take between three and four weeks. The club sees Rodney as a major signing and we want him here as soon as is practical.”
Prop was seen by many as one of Haven’s weaker positions last term, when they earned promotion to the second tier. And until Pora’s addition they had only three specialist front-rowers on the books – Paul Cullnean and Dave Houghton, two of their leading forwards in 2012, and ex-Super League star Paul Jackson, who was outstanding on his pre-season debut against Gateshead.
It is thought they will look to add another big forward to the squad. And with a partnership with top-flight giants St Helens in place, they will not be short of options.
Pora, who will join fellow PNG international Jessie Joe Parker at the Recre, looks likely to miss the league opener against visitors York on February 3 but fans should not have long to wait to see him in action.

In Port Moresby today

By MALUM NALU

Pictures of my wanderings around Port Moresby, not today, but on Tuesday, January 15, 2013, as my family and I were moving to up our new place at 8-Mile on the fringes of the city.
No more Hohola for us!

Atlas Street, Hohola 4, that Sir Mekere Morauta forgot about! Hope Michael Malabag can go one step further!

The recreation park at Hohola. Our children and youth deserve better!

Hohola afternoon

The recreation park at Hohola. Our children and youth deserve better!

Wards Road, Hohola

Waigani Drive

Gordon

Roadside market at Gordon

Gordon heading towards 5-Mile

Roadworks from 5-Mile to Erima are taking forever and a day!

Traffic chaos at Erima!

Bird of paradise, Erima

Heading out of the city towards 8-Mile!

Our residental area at 8-Mile

Sunset over Port Moresby as seen from 8-Mile

Heading nback into the city from 8-Mile

Sir John Guise Drive

Moasing fast asleep!

Goodnight babies!

The kids watching cartoons at our new place

My bedroom and study, complete with airconditioning

Leighton handed US$211 million contract to build Esso Highlands headquarters in PNG

Upstream

Australia’s Leighton Holdings has been awarded a contract by ExxonMobil’s Papua New Guinea subsidiary Esso Highlands.

Leighton’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Leighton Contractors, was awarded the A$200 million (US$211.3 million) contract to build Esso’s permanent head office in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
Leighton said construction was expected to start this year and will require a peak workforce of 360, adding 80% of those workers would be sourced from local industry.
Esso Highlands is the operator of the PNG liquefied natural gas project which is based on a two-train processing plant with a capacity of 6.9 milllion tonnes per annum.
Esso holds a 33.2% stake in the project and is partnered by Oil Search (29%), PNG government company Independent Public Business Corporation (16.6%), Santos (13.5%), Nippon Oil (4.7%), PNG landowner company Mineral Resources Development Company (2.8%) and national oil company Petromin (0.2%).

PNG surfing to take part in international project

By MALUM NALU

This is a picture of my good mate, PNG Surfing Association president Andrew Abel, riding a perfect wave off north coast Madang at Tupira where the SAPNG national Surfing Titles were held in 2011. 

He tells me he has been invited to contribute to a ground breaking world first book on sustainable surfing alongside side some big names and legends in the surfing world.
 "I have humbly accepted the invitation on behalf of SAPNG and my members and PNG, as it marks another significant milestone for SAPNG as we mark 26 years since foundation and in making our mark on the world surfing stage as an emerging surfing/ surf tourism nation, as a member of the International Surfing Association world governing body in California, USA," Abel says.
"This invitation complements the international award winning PNG surfing documentary Splinters that is making waves around the world and also the invitation to present a paper at the inaugural Global Surfing Network Conference on the Gold Coast in late February, 2013.
"From humble beginnings, we have come a long way and it feels good to be Papua New Guinean playing our part in contributing in a positive way working alongside some of the legends of the surfing world."

Papua New Guinea prepares for an Asian Century

East Asia Forum

January 16th, 2013

Author: Sean Jacobs, Canberra

In late 2012 Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill delivered a series of speeches that give clues to the country’s growth and political aspirations.

Peter O'Neill

For some time, observers of the country have been kept on a slim diet of academic analysis or fragmented news items for their understanding of the country and the intentions of its political leaders.
As PNG emerges from a politically disruptive past two years, O’Neill has been speaking out abroad. At the Bali Democracy Forum and the Lowy Institute for International Policy, O’Neill clarified his government’s objectives over its five-year term. Two broad priorities can be drawn from his remarks. First, O’Neill wants to increase the proportion of citizens who participate in and benefit from the resource economy. Second, the government wants to upgrade PNG’s national infrastructure and increase productivity.
Both goals depend considerably upon PNG’s economic relationship with Asia. PNG has vast stockpiles of copper, gold and nickel, and there is a steady roster of countries — China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore — increasingly interested in purchasing and investing in its minerals. Supplemented by a lucrative future in Liquefied Natural Gas, the country’s GDP growth is currently at 9 per cent and is expected to almost double by 2016.
While it is easy to be euphoric about PNG’s trade and investment relationships in Asia, they will be geared toward shared interests and not values. PNG is a political outlier in Asia. It has a chaotic Westminster democracy, a political system only India, of Asian nations, is able to understand. This is important to note, especially at the cusp of a resources boom, because it will make it difficult for PNG to create meaningful ‘non-business’ alliances with its Asian trading partners. With that in mind, PNG should consider Lord Palmerston’s well-worn dictum that ‘nations have no permanent friends or allies, they have only permanent interests’ as it becomes more intertwined with Asia.
In order to sustain its resource commitment to Asia, PNG will need to build a decent national infrastructure. In O’Neill’s words: ‘You cannot grow an economy in a first-rate way with third-rate infrastructure’. PNG’s most recent budget commits $12 billion kina (US$5.8 billion), over five years, to upgrading the nation’s highways, roads and ports. To place this fiscal commitment in context, $12 billion kina is equal to PNG’s total national budget in one year.
But PNG’s infrastructure problems are not due to a historical lack of investment and overseas assistance. PNG’s 700km Highlands Highway, for example, which is a relic of PNG’s infrastructure failure, has received billions in funding and overseas aid with very limited results. Still, while rhetoric around large-scale public infrastructure in PNG should be treated with some caution, the renewed political focus on the sector is welcome, particularly in the context of a growing economic imperative from Asia.
On O’Neill’s radar, too, are government measures to improve productivity — an area on which he says that it ‘has never really focused’. PNG is not the only developing state with abundant natural resources, and the government is aware that it will have to supply its buyers more efficiently in the coming years to remain globally competitive. If the government listens more carefully to PNG’s business sector and implements their suggestions, which range in areas from law and order to skilled labour, it can realise productivity gains.
While O’Neill has given some clarity to the intentions of his government until the 2017 national election, a more enduring guide may lie in the production of a well thought-out and measured foreign policy document. Australia recently completed an Asian Century White Paper, and a PNG equivalent is at least worth discussing. PNG has used similar documents in the past — it issued the PNG Foreign Policy White Paper in 1982, for example. But the appetite for such papers seemed to have disappeared as the country lurched from one political crisis to the next.
PNG Vision 2050, published in late 2009, is the PNG government’s latest attempt to bring the nation’s goals together across a range of sectors. The very brief ‘international relations’ section outlined four objectives, including directing aid to national priorities, establishing Trade Commission Offices in relevant countries, increasing bilateral and multilateral relations in international forums, and ensuring the country’s foreign policy reflects the national interest. Should the government wish to pursue an Asian engagement strategy, these objectives may be a fair place to start.
Finally, O’Neill seems aware that PNG cannot live on extracting resources forever. In his Lowy Institute speech, for example, he stated that PNG had become ‘relaxed and comfortable’ and perhaps ‘complacent’ in exporting minerals and forestry. This raises valid questions for potential growth sectors outside of resources such as agriculture and perhaps tourism. These sectors also depend on infrastructure and productivity, so O’Neill’s two priorities could broaden PNG’s economy. While a gap between rhetoric and results is common in PNG politics, many of the country’s citizens, and at least parts of Asia, will be watching PNG’s government more closely than ever.

Sean Jacobs is a former Australian youth volunteer in the Pacific and has worked with all levels of government in Papua New Guinea.

Coffee officers complete training

Eleven technical coffee officers recently completed week-long induction training on how to serve members of the Apo, Kange and Angra (AAK) Coffee Cooperatives based in the highlands provinces.

The 11 technical coffee officers and executives of AAK Cooperatives after completing their induction programme in Goroka recently.-Picture courtesy of CIC

The AAK is a major coffee farmer cooperative group deriving its coffee farmer membership from Chimbu, Jiwaka, Western and Eastern Highlands provinces.

The cooperatives engaged the officers to implement a K500, 000 coffee project successfully sourced from the World Bank-funded coffee component of the Productive Partnership in Agriculture Project (PPAP) late last year. 

Cooperatives coordinator, Brian Kuglame, said the officers were selected from the respective cluster groups of each cooperative from the provinces and were trained to promote coffee quality and sustainable production and marketing.

“Today, the cargo cult perception is growing very big in many communities and these local officers will be there to fight these perceptions and urge the people to work the land to survive,” Kuglame said.

He said one officer would cover more than two districts in each province, including Jiwaka.