BY DALCY LULUA
Minister for International Trade and Investment, Hon Richard Maru, has announced that his ministry has successfully raised K1.5 million to host the first-ever Special Economic Zones (SEZ) Summit.
This summit has been in the making for the past four months, and with the support of the government and sponsors, it is now ready to take place as an international summit.
In a press conference on Thursday, Minister Maru said: “We have raised K1.5 million to host this international summit.”
He said international speakers from seven (7) countries are arriving, and the Japanese team have already arrived, while the rest will be arrived on Saturday.
“The main objective of this summit is to assist Papua New Guinea in learning from other countries that have successfully developed Special Economic Zones to create thousands of jobs and bring in billions and trillions in foreign currency and foreign direct investments,” the minister said.
He said the summit will run for three days, starting tomorrow (Monday), where PNG will learn from other countries that have been successful in implementing SEZs and the key factors that have contributed to their success.
Acting Secretary for International Trade and Investment, Mrs Jacinta Warakai Manua, also stated that their team is working hard in preparing for the summit, and they are doing well so far.
“We might have started SEZ back then, but it hasn’t worked out for us. This will not happen again as Papua New Guinea is now ready, and this is our time to learn from our mistakes and not repeat them,” she said.
Minister Maru thanked the Prime Minister, Hon James Marape, and the cabinet, as well as other sponsors such as the Special Economic Zone Authority, Ministry of International Trade and Investment, Department of National Planning, IHU SEZ, Kumul Consolidate Holdings, Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited, National Fisheries Authority, PNG Ports, MRDC, Telikom PNG, and Securities Commission, for their overwhelming support.
