NDB: K20m loan fund for women

By ANCILLA WRAKUALE

NATIONAL Development Bank Board Chairman William Lamur yesterday announced a lending support of K20 million for women entrepreneurs in the formal sector this year, The National reports.
 Lamur announced this at the inaugural NDB Women in Business summit at Holiday Inn Hotel in Port Moresby.

The 300 women from all over PNG who turned up for the inaugural National Development Bank Women in Business Summit in Port Moresby yesterday. The summit ends today.-Nationalpic by EKAR KEAPU

Lamur said this was a 100% increase from the K9 million loaned last year to women-owned businesses in the formal sector.
“We have also approved and implemented a programme to have a Women in Business desk in all our branch offices and by end of April, all our branches will have a woman office to service your business needs,” he said.
“This is the first for any bank in PNG to recognise women entrepreneurs and make such a commitment to support businesswomen around the country.”
Lamur said research commissioned by NDB on women entrepreneurs showed they could not afford high interest rates of commercial banks, including NDB, for high-equity requirements and short-term loan lending.
“We have viewed our products and developed two new products specifically for women-owned and managed business to address all the concerns raised in our research to make NDB business loans more accessible to our women entrepreneurs,” he said.
The two new products will be launched tonight.
Lamur said he trusted the summit would inspire and motivate women to start or grow their own businesses.
Meanwhile, Lamur said NDB had not received a toea of NDB’s 2012 budget allocation of K130 million and has called on the government to release the money.
“I want to use the opportunity to call on the government again to release our 2012 budgeted funds, so we can lend to our clients including our business women,” he said.
He said the first quarter of this year had gone but they were confident of getting the first tranche of the K130 million

Kapris’ sex romp

By JUNIOR UKAHA

POLICE are questioning a female prison warder over allegations that she has been having sex with Papua New Guinea’s most notorious criminal inside jail, The National reports.
 The officer, who holds a non-commissioned rank, is in police custody in Boroko after she boasted about the affair to her colleagues.
Investigators believed more warders and a lot of money were involved in a jail sex syndicate that had been operating for more than a year.
The married officer was alleged to have visited convicted rapist, bank robber and prison escapee William Nanua Kapris for sex on at least 15 occasions on the pretext of providing welfare assistance to him.
Correctional Services Commissioner Martin Balthasar said yesterday that one of his officers had been arrested for questioning over the sexual encounters in the maximum security unit of Bomana.
Prison officers got word of it when she boasted about the affair to her colleagues. They informed police who arrested her on Sunday afternoon.
It is understood that Kapris’ wife had been aware of the affair and was helping police in their investigation.
The alleged sexual relationship was said to have happened in the welfare rehabilitation office at the main prison compound at Bomana prison.
Balthasar said: “This particular officer would visit Kapris under the pretext of providing welfare assistance.”
Another female officer would keep watch while the two had sex in the toilet, he said.
Balthasar said after each encounter, the officer would return to her location in the female block about 1.5km away from the main compound.
Kapris, awaiting trial with others for their part in the Bank South Pacific robbery in Kerema (May 2008) and Madang (July 2008), was also alleged to have arranged financial rewards for the female officer.
Balthasar said Kapris would arrange for “large sums of money” to be paid to the officer, who is also married.
He said CS investigators were alerted about the affair when the officer boasted to other female warders that she had married a “millionaire inmate”.
“Not even her husband knew about it. He was surprised when we picked her up yesterday (Sunday),” Balthasar said.
He said the movement of the suspect and confessions obtained from Kapris, his wife and others confirmed the affair.
It was alleged that after each meeting, the female officer would withdraw money from her account and divided it with another female officer who used to keep watch while she was with Kapris.
Other officers, who also knew of the affair, would also be questioned by the police.
The second female officer was said to be close to Kapris and his “network”.
Balthasar said the action of the female officer was in breach of the Correctional Services Act (section 113) and security protocol at the institute.
He said the officer could face up to two years in prison if found guilty of the offence under the CS Act.
“The William Kapris saga has already deplored the name of the institution since 2008. I will not tolerate officers who continue to do this,” he said.
Balthasar is preparing a report on the matter for Correctional Services Minister Sai Sailon Beseo to deliver to the National Security Council and the chief secretary

Esso Highlands: LNG project on track, despite disruptions

Esso Highlands Ltd today confirmed that work remains temporarily suspended in the Hides area of Southern Highlands due to unlawful activities undertaken by some members of the local community and while disruptive, the project is on track for first gas in 2014.

“Work is continuing in other areas of the PNG LNG project,” spokesperson Rebecca Arnold said today in reponse to today’s front page report in The National newspaper.

“The government and Esso Highlands Ltd are engaged with the community leaders to understand and attempt to resolve the issues so that construction can recommence.

“The project encourages continued dialogue between communities, the government and the project to address issues as they arise, without impact to ongoing project activities. 

“Esso Highlands Ltd, with the government, has taken steps to engage with the group in question to understand their issues.

“It is disappointing that the group continues to halt work on the project.

“The project has not evacuated workers from the Hides area.

“Work in the Hides area has been stopped for some time now by this unlawful activity, and some workers have been demobilised from the area because they are unable to work.

“While work stoppage actions are disruptive, we remain on track for first gas in 2014.

“The benefits that flow from the project will have a broad, positive impact on the country, and it is important that the project is completed on time.”

Esso pulls out of LNG site

By JEFFREY ELAPA and ISAAC NICHOLAS

THE government last night vowed to implement tough measures – including the declaration of a state of emergency in a province – as a PNG liquefied natural gas (LNG) project developer Esso Highlands began withdrawing workers from its site, The National reports.
 Prime Minister Peter O’Neill will call a National Executive Council meeting today to discuss the measures to be taken as the developer of the PNG LNG project in Southern Highlands started pulling its workers from the Hides 4 area.  Landowners had stopped work at the site over compensation demands which the developer, Esso Highlands, had been trying to resolve.
A source said the developer began evacuating its workers from the project sites in three chartered aircraft yesterday.
The source predicted it would be the end of the project if the closure continued this week.
It could not be confirmed last night how many employees had left.
Company spokeswoman Rebecca Arnold will issue a statement today.
O’Neill told The National last night tough measures were needed to protect the LNG project.
“I am calling a special cabinet meeting (today) to make tough decisions to protect workers on site and to protect the interest of the nation,” he said.
The landowners had stopped all LNG-related activities at Hides 4 in the Southern Highlands.
Vehicles hired by Esso Highlands and the contractors had been returned to their owners because the companies could not continue to pay when they are lying idle.
O’Neill said: “I am aware of the landowner issues around the project area and concerns have been expressed to the government about the security of the project as a result of certain groups putting in demands that are outside the UBSA (umbrella benefits sharing agreement) and LBBSA (licensed-based benefits sharing agreement).”
He said some of the measures the council would consider today
included the declaration of a state of emergency in the Southern Highlands, the deployment of PNG Defence Force troops there, additional police manpower and additional funding for the exercise.
“The demands are unreasonable and unfair to the nation. I appeal to landowners to reconsider their actions which are undermining the project,” O’Neill said.
He said the government had already made the decision for a call-out of the PNGDF and troops should be deployed immediately.
“We will ensure the security of the project is protected,” he said.
The source said officials from the department of petroleum and energy and ExxonMobil had been sent to the site but could not resolve the landowners’ grievances.
The landowners have demanded K99 million from Esso Highlands as compensation for the different projects activities in the area.
Other demands include the upgrading of the:

• Para Health Centre to a referral hospital;

• Para Community School building; and

• Hides-Komo road to start immediately.

They also wanted employment and contracts be given to locals plus a permanent water supply for the people.
Hides 4 Landowner Umbrella Association Inc chairman Chris Payabe had said landowners wanted the government to immediately take ownership of the project and address their concerns.
He maintained that the project would remain closed if their demands were not addressed.

Central province has big vegetable potential

By PHILMAH SETA

THE potential for vegetable production in Central province is yet to be fully recognised.

An agronomic study showed that open pollinated vegetables like tomato, French bean and capsicum can grow well in the lowland areas whereas in the high altitudes, scientists had noted encouraging performances by English cabbage, broccoli and carrots.

For mid altitudes, capsicum was looking promising while evaluations for tomato and broccoli were still in progress. 

Children admiring capsicum harvested at Sogeri, Central province

These were some of the findings from the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) from agronomic trails under a collaborative vegetable project funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).

The trials were carried out in Laloki, Sogeri and Tapini, to evaluate the vegetables (tomato, capsicum, French bean, broccoli, English cabbage and carrots) in three altitudinal sites – low, mid and high – of the province.

Other collaborators are the Fresh Produce Development Agency, Pacific Adventist University, Central Province’s Department of Agriculture and Livestock and Australia’s Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture and the University of Canberra.

The project’s objective was to increase vegetable productivity, diversify vegetables to farmers and consumer preference, enhance supply consistency, quality assurance; and guarantee two efficient and effective value chains and well-distributed benefits in the Central Province.

During a project review meeting last week at NARI Laloki outside Port Moresby, all partners presented their outcomes, achievements and challenges in this collaborative initiative.  

The two-day review was to:

·         Assess the outcomes, achievements and challenges of the project’s first year of implementation;  

·         Rechart the future activities including work plan for year 2012;  

·         Plan for the mid-term review by external reviewers in November this year; and

·         Showcase the project to stakeholders, including network farmers, in the Central province.

A production cost survey in the farmer’s field, also done by NARI, showed that farmers’ yields are below average and costs including man-days are above average.

This study recommended more training for farmers with supply of improved vegetable seeds.

Production cost is a component of the value chain management aspect of the project.  

The review meeting was attended by project leader associate Professor Colin Birch, ACIAR country manager Emily Flowers, NARI deputy director general Dr Sergie Bang and representatives from partner organisations.

History being made with Women in Business Summit

OPPOSTION Leader Dame Carol Kidu says history is being created with the inaugural Women in Business summit organised by the National Development Bank.

“We are creating history tonight and each of you should be happy to be part of the exciting journey which is just beginning,” she told delegates at a welcome function at Holiday Inn tonight (Sunday).

“I am told that there were more than 1,000 applicants for the summit and only 350 were chosen, so indeed you were privileged to be selected amongst many to be here tonight.

“As the only woman MP in parliament, I have been consistently pushing for the recognition of women as equal partners as our male counterparts in the development of our young nation.

“As you all know, I am passionate about my push for the recognition and empowerment of our women to see the unrealised potential of women in all aspects of our national life, including political leadership and in business.”

Dame Carol acknowledged NDB for making the event possible, sponsors including government with its K40,000, delegates, and Cairns Business Women Club.

“Our national strategic plan, Vision 2050, calls for 70% ownership of our citizen businesses by 2050, so we must make the leap today to secure our future and the summit is timely to formally stage the march,” she said.

 The main event of the summit starts tomorrow and ends on Tuesday with 300 participants from all over PNG.

PNG-owned aviation company gets its second helicopter

By MALUM NALU

 

Nationally-owned aviation company Heli Solutions has created another proud moment in Papua New Guinea aviation history with the arrival of its second Bell 407 helicopter at Jackson International Airport last Friday (March 23).

Heli Solutions, PNG's second 100% nationally-owned company involved in helicopters after Helifix, only last August took delivery of its first Bell 407 helicopter and less than a year later has obtained its second.

 There were hugs and congratulations all around as the all-PNG crew of captain James Pima and  his maintenance controller, Peter Kenos, touched down just after 6pm at Jackson with the US$2.1 million helicopter.

The eagle has landed…Captain James Pima steps out from the Bell 407 after a grueling three-day flight from Sydney through very bad weather.-Pictures by MALUM NALU

Pima left Sydney last Tuesday but was delayed because of very bad weather in Queensland as well as no fuel in Daru last Friday.

The flight took them through Brisbane, Cairns, and various other small towns in Queensland, Daru and Kerema before arriving in Port Moresby.

Pima said the new helicopter was bought from a business tycoon in The Bahamas last December, with the assistance of a loan from First Investment Finance.

Father and son reunion…James Pima and son Dwayne reunited at Jackson Airport tarmac last Friday.

“It was then flow to the States, dismantled and put on a ship to Sydney,” Pima said.

“It took seven weeks to get from the States to Sydney.

“In Sydney, it took another three weeks to put together the helicopter, after which we went down and completed all registration formalities with PNG Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) officials, whom we invited down to Sydney.

“It’s now a PNG-owned and registered aircraft

Proud family members with James Pima (centre) after his safe flight to Port Moresby from Sydney on his new Bell 407 chopper.

Pima said the helicopter, P2-HSM, would support the first helicopter in providing air services for mining, oil and gas, communications, government and politicians

Former PNG Defence Force pilots Pima and Philip Emeck, both from Mendi in Southern Highlands, are joint owners of Heli Solutions.

Pima and Emeck, after leaving the PNG Defence Force air wing, worked for other aviation companies, including Helifix, before setting up Heli Solutions.

Pima thanked all their family members and friends for their support, and especially their financiers Westpac and First Investment Finance for their faith in helping them to buy the helicopters.

That's me (right) congratulating James as his proud son Dwayne looks on.

They anticipate buying more helicopters in the very near future to boost up their fleet, especially with the booming resources sector in PNG.