By DALCY LULUA
The Papua New Guinea Forestry Authority (PNGFA), through its business arm PNG Diwai Holdings Limited, has presented a cheque of K210,000 to the Ministry of International Trade and Investment to support the hosting of the Second Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Summit.
The handover ceremony took place in Port Moresby, where PNGFA Managing Director and PNG Diwai Holdings Chairman John Mosoro reaffirmed the authority’s commitment to advancing economic diversification and sustainable development through SEZ initiatives.
“On behalf of my Minister, Hon. Salio Waipo, and the board members, it is through the board that I have now been given their approval to officially participate in the Special Economic Zone conference, organized by the Department of International Trade and Investment,” Mr Mosoro said.
He noted that the occasion was also about recognizing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed earlier between PNGFA and the Department of International Trade and Investment to collaborate on building facilities and promoting downstream processing within SEZs.
“To implement this MoU, I had a one-on-one discussion with Minister Hon. Richard Maru and with my minister Hon. Salio Waipo, that forestry must play a key role in the Special Economic Zone. Without forestry in a SEZ, one part of the government is missing,” he said.
Mr Mosoro also acknowledged Prime Minister James Marape and Minister Maru for their vision and leadership in creating SEZ opportunities that will enable PNGFA, through PNG Diwai Holdings Limited, to establish downstream processing facilities within these zones.
Receiving the cheque, Secretary for International Trade and Investment Jacinta Warakai Manua said the partnership reflected strong government agency collaboration in advancing a shared national agenda.
“This is an important occasion to show collaboration amongst government agencies to pursue a government agenda. The Special Economic Zone is a national government agenda, and the Ministry of International Trade and Investment is only the administrator, the coordinator and the manager of that agenda-but we cannot proceed and progress it if sectoral agencies are not part of us,” Ms Manua said.
She extended her appreciation to the forestry sector leadership.
“On behalf of the Minister for International Trade and Investment and a champion minister in pursuing the agenda of Special Economic Zone in this government, Hon. Richard Maru, we want to say thank you so much to the Minister for Forests, the PNGFA board, and the management for approving the sponsorship to stage the Second Papua New Guinea Special Economic Zone Summit,” she said.
Reflecting on the progress since the first summit held in May 2023, Ms Manua said the initial focus was on policy development, but the current summit would move into execution.
“We’ve gone over a year and a half, and now we want to talk about the implementation-how we operationalize the Special Economic Zone. This happens through the participation of sector agencies like the PNG Forestry Authority. I agree with the words of the MD that without forestry sector involvement, we will not be able to fully realize the benefits of SEZs,” she said.
Ms Manua emphasized the importance of forestry in the country’s economy.
“The forestry sector is an important contributor to our national budget and revenue. It has a clear place within the Special Economic Zone framework. The MoU we signed earlier is now being implemented through these collaborative efforts,” she said.
The second SEZ Summit, scheduled for September this year, will bring together local and international investors, policymakers, and development partners to discuss infrastructure planning, investor incentives, and sustainable models for economic zone development in key provinces.