PNG’s poorest province woos Fiji investors

October 15, 2009 05:18:39 PM

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Representatives from Papua New Guinea’s Gulf Province administration are in Fiji to woo investors into the region, considered one of PNG’s poorest provinces. 

Led by its outspoken representative at national government level, Governor Havila Kavo, the group is seeking out interested parties to invest in what has been described as a bright economic future for the province.

“We are here on a fact finding mission, to meet with local business community and try to get interested parties to come to Gulf province and invest there,” Kavo told FijiLive in an interview today.

“There are some major developments happening in our province, which has been one of PNG’s most under developed ones.  We are seeing a major natural gas project being planned and also a US$1.5 billion Korean city project is about to begin in Karema, the capital city of the Gulf Province,” Kavo said. 

“So I am here to try to market the potentials for business in my province. Over the next few years, we are going to see huge development activities there and this should be a good opportunity for interested businesses in Fiji to tap into the potentials in the Gulf Province.”

Kavo, who is known to be vocal in PNG on the need to get development to benefit local people, said the group was particularly interested in Fiji’s tourism industry. 

“Fiji is well known for its success in tourism and the Gulf Province has a lot of potentials for tourism development.  Half of the Great Barrier Reef is in the Gulf Province, we have immense flora and fauna, exotic plants and animals and great sceneries which have remained untapped, so this may be of interest to hoteliers already in Fiji, that they may also be interested to come there and set up business,” he said. 

While in Fiji, the Gulf Province entourage has managed to secure Memorandums of Understanding with two Fiji-owned companies - Software Factories Ltd and Pacific Building Solutions - where they have tentatively agreed to set up business there.

The companies are expected to sign the MOUs tomorrow.

Kavo said he is also looking at marketing the Gulf Province’s opportunities in Australia, which is the group’s next stop.