The inaugural Community Affairs and National Content Conference and Expo (CANCONEX) set the record for the greatest number of gold sponsors for any conference hosted in PNG.
President of the Chamber of Mines and Petroleum, Anthony Smare, outlined this when extending their gratitude to the 846 registered attendees at this afternoon’s closing of the event at the PNG University of Technology in Lae.
CANCONEX, which focused on maximising benefits and opportunities for landowners and landowner companies, had the Mineral Resources Development Company as its principal sponsor, had four platinum sponsors and 13 gold sponsors.
Smare said from the three days of presentation, it was clear that stakeholders in the resource sector need to bring the government with them.
“It’s no longer a case of the government leading us,” he stated.
“I was encouraged by the fact that the Prime Minister made a special trip to the event on Monday despite his busy schedule, which included a visit to Vanuatu. It was a tremendous show of support and recognition of the importance of national content.”
He also applauded landowners and landowner companies for their significant support and participation in the conference, drawing attention to the bold and courageous presentation yesterday by the Panguna landowners from the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.
“As examples of Panguna and Porgera show, when we get it wrong, everybody pays the price,” he stated. “Not just government, not just landowners, not just the developer, but an entire country. We had 20 years of Panguna, we are now living through the nightmare that is Porgera’s closure.
“I was blown away by the level of honesty and openness, networking and shared camaraderie and collaboration I saw in the last three days.
“Everybody that participated should be extremely proud of this. As of yesterday, we had 846 registered attendees at this conference. It is and will be the largest conference in this country as hosted this year.”
Smare said the second edition of CANCONEX will be hosted in July 2024 at the PNG University of Technology again.
(President of the Chamber of Mines and Petroleum, Anthony Smare, left, with his team getting ready for a photoshoot after the successful conclusion of CANCONEX this afternoon at the PNG University of Technology in Lae, Morobe Province)