Business Environment

There are business facilities for medium and small scale industries in and near the main towns in all provinces in Papua New Guinea. These areas are generally well served by the appropriate air, sea and road transportation networks, as well as other necessary components of infrastructure such as the supply of water and electricity and telecommunications facilities.

The city of Lae has earned the reputation of being the manufacturing capital of Papua New Guinea because of its location among major shipping, road and airline routes. Port Moresby, Mt Hagen and Madang are other well developed cities where major industries and businesses are located.

The development of resource projects in non-urban areas has also resulted in the emergence of almost self-sufficient communities in parts of the country which otherwise may have remained isolated with only limited formal economic activity.

The physical characteristics of the country have prohibited the development of an extensive road network and the often extreme weather patterns present enormous challenges to the architects and engineers of infrastructure developments.

However, the mountainous terrain has resulted in the development of hundreds of airstrips throughout the country enabling inter-village and inter-provincial travel. Shipping and other forms of water transport have evolved also out of necessity in response to the great expanses of ocean and huge inland waterways.

Essential services for the operation of basic businesses are available in most towns and villages but there is still room for further improvement and development. The Government places infrastructure development and maintenance high on its agenda but, like other Governments, is constantly juggling resources to meet the demands from the community.

However, investors can be assured that all basic infrastructure is available for business in Papua New Guinea. For larger scale investment projects, the Government and the private sector have the resources to put in place any other specific requirements.