Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has congratulated the Papua New Guinea Chamber of Resources and Energy (PNG CORE) on successfully hosting a ‘resource week’ that saw stakeholders in the mining and petroleum sectors meet to discuss industry matters.

The Prime Minister was speaking at the resource week closing gala dinner in Port Moresby on the evening of Thursday, 4 July 2024.

The dinner was a culmination of the resource week, and incorporated events like the Community Affairs and National Content Conference and Exposition (CANCONEX), PNG Resource Career Fair, PNG Resources Summit and finishing with the PNG Resource Week gala dinner.

It was held at the University of Papua New Guinea from Monday 01 July 2024 to Thursday 04 July 2024.

In his keynote address at the dinner, PM Marape commended PNG CORE for making available this avenue to bring together stakeholders to meet and talk, as he reminded the companies to become more inclusive of landowners in business spin-offs.

Pointing out the Hilton Hotel, where the dinner was being held, as an example of landowner entrepreneurship, the Prime Minister said developers need not look far.

“If you doubt the ability of landowners, we sit in a hotel that is landowner-owned.

“In 2008, the Consortium that owns this, they come under the management of MRDC, their balance sheet was K300 million.

“Today, their balance sheet is K7 billion,” Prime Minister Marape informed investors, developers, businesses in the oil and gas sector.

“That indicates one thing, that landowner companies in the country are growing capacities that are adequate to fill in the gaps of service providers.

“And so we want to migrate past catering provision and security provision to the highest we could participate in for resources and resource harvesting.”

Prime Minister Marape said people on whose land developers do business – including the Motu Koitabu here in the city – need to be acknowledged in the proper manner and opportunities given to them to participate in spin-off businesses.

He once more reminded the companies of the pain of Panguna which arose because of landowners needs not being respected.

“No amount of razor wire can stop the people from fighting for their rights if you do not give them what their rightful entitlements are,” he said.