How many foreign investors have been brought into PNG since independence by the country’s public service, in particular the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade?
What are our export figures like to the USA or to any of our trading partners from our natural resources and agriculture?
These are the questions the Member for Kundiawa-Gembogl, Muguwa Dilu asks as Prime Minister James Marape and Pacific leaders are in the United States and meeting with President Joe Biden and business leaders to lobby for more US investments going forward.
Mr Dilu acknowledged and commended the government for its renewed efforts to established diplomatic ties and drive trade with countries around the world including the current meeting with the US leaders.
He said after 48 years of independence, PNG has established diplomatic missions abroad in the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, China, Germany, Malysia and other APEC member countries and it was time PNG reap some benefits from the work undertaken by these missions.
Mr Dilu said the establishment of new embassies like the recent opening of the embassy in Jerusalem, Israel is to tap into the opportunities in agriculture and trade and while this is important to drive economic growth, the work of attracting foreign investment and trade should not be left to the government alone.
“We have the Prime Minister attending the Pacific Leaders meeting with the USA leadership and lobbying for US businesses to invest in the Pacific, including PNG.
This is not the first time our governments have done that with USA or any other Governments.
We have a Foreign Affairs and Trade Department in the country, that runs all these embassies abroad, staffed with the necessary people to, not only manage the foreign policies of the country but also to sell the country to attract new investments into PNG.
As the dust settles after our 48 independence anniversary celebrations, I now demand the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide a country report on what it has achieved to grow our economy.
It must provide numbers on how many companies it has brought into the country or business opportunities it has opened up for local companies in the USA, England, Australia, New Zealand, China and elsewhere where we have established bilateral and trade relationships,” Mr Dilu said.
He said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is an important State agency with
functions to manage the country’s foreign policies and to sell PNG to promote trade and commerce overseas.
Mr Dilu said apart from its work to manage the state’s diplomatic principles, policies, laws and related regulations, safeguard national sovereignty, security and interests, run diplomatic affairs and handle diplomatic activities between foreign leaders and PNG, the Department also function to promote trade and investments.
Over the years the government of PNG has established economic trading and development partners with APEC member countries.
“Our economy needs the investment dollars, our economy needs to grow to provide new jobs and we need to expand our exports to bring in much needed foreign exchange.
PNG must get maximum returns for the money it has spent establishing and maintaining foreign embassies and entering into trade and bilateral agreements with the world.
I call on the Foreign Affairs Department as well as the IPA and other State agencies to provide to the country their own reports, we must see their key performance indicators.
They must give us a list of companies or investors.