Prime Minister James Marape

Prime Minister James Marape told the Governors during the opening of the two-day Provincial Governors Conference in Port Moresby on Sunday afternoon.

“In the last four years, we have averaged about 30 percent of our total government expenditure to you at the provincial level. That is the indication that we are committed to assisting provincial governments.

“The conversation today is contemporary, it is relevant. What is decentralization in 2023?

“What are the functions of the National Government, the functions of provincial governments, and the districts?

He said his Government had identified health as one of its top priorities and was working towards achieving universal health for all citizens.

Marape said this recently during the opening of the brand-new Level-4 hospital in Kupiano Station, Abau District, Central Province.

The hospital was built by Santos through the Government’s Tax Credit Scheme (TCS) arrangement at a cost of K20.224 million towards development from feasibility, design and engineering in 2010 to final completion.

Construction work started in 2017.

Marape said work for this arrangement started in 2016.

“We have worked on this since 2016. I believe the delay was on our part but it is better late than never,” he said.

Marape said PNG and Korea already participated in the APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) scheme, where members used the ABTC cards as a visa, to travel to other member economies and also as a visa exemption or entry permit to travel within the confines of member economies.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by the Minister for International Trade and Investment, Richard Maru, Vice Minister for Finance and Implementation, John Boito, and Vice Minister for Treasury, Solen Loifa.

From the Korean party, President Yoon came to the meeting with Prime Minister of Korea, Duck-Soo Han, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Park Jin.

At the commencement of the bilateral meeting, Prime Minister Marape personally gave recognition to the Republic of Korea as one of Papua New Guinea’s biggest trading partners.

Prime Minister James Marape made the announcement on Thursday, May 25^th, when meeting with Lae’s private sector.

Marape thanked employers for remaining loyal to PNG for the past decades despite the deteriorating business environment.

“Those incentives will be announced very soon, in fact, within the six months going forward before the 2024 budget is brought in,” he stated. “We will announce certain incentives that we will be giving to the manufacturing sector and more so, agriculture, forestry and fisheries based here in our country.”

On behalf of the provincial assembly, Governor Luther Wenge welcomed him and applauded him for making history.

Prior to that, Governor Wenge presented the petition from the University of Technology's student representative senate regarding the contentious US Defence Cooperation Agreement.

When addressing the chamber, PM Marape acknowledged the petition presented by the governor, saying it is the right of the people to express themselves.

“It is not our core business of today but I accept it,” he said.

Yesterday evening US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and PNG’s Minister for Defence Win Daki put pen to paper, giving way to the US to increase military presence in the country and the Pacific, as China and the US compete for influence in the region.

Prime Minister James Marape assured Papua New Guineans that all aspects of the DCA will be made available to the public through a Parliamentary Statement that he will make.

And he has assured Papua New Guineans that all aspects of the DCA will be made available to the public through a Parliamentary Statement that he will make.

“I am working to release the agreement for public knowledge, and on Thursday this week we will send the State Solicitor and Foreign Affairs and Defence Secretaries, to go through the DCA with students and interest groups to ensure they are informed correctly.”

Prime Minister James Marape said this last Friday (May 12, 2023) when launching the comprehensive policy in front of a fullhouse crowd in Port Moresby.

Marape was accompanied by Acting Minister for Commerce and Industry, Soroi Eoe, whose department was responsible for drawing up the policy.

The Prime Minister assured the small-scale mining operators that the policy was not intended to disrupt or undermine their operations, but provide opportunities for greater benefits

This followed public uproar after a tiktok video from his daughter Savannah Tkatchenko was
circulated widely on social media.

The Minister’s defense of his daughter drew further harsh
criticism from the public over the poor choice of words used to show his frustrations.