Businesses identify areas needing improvement

BUSINESSES in the country have identified four priority areas which if improved, will positively impact growth.
PNG Business Council executive director Douveri Henao said the areas were the provision of infrastructure and basic services, government and regulation, broadening the industry base, and productivity and employment. Those are the four priority areas that businesses would like to see have a strong presence in the political accords.
“Based on those four, we have what our current status is now, what the barriers are that are causing problems at present, the enablers which are the systems and processes in play in order to start moving and then we have the prospective PNG – where we want PNG to be in the next five years or so,” Henao said.
He said under the provision of infrastructure and basic services, one of the areas was that infrastructure in many places was either non-existent or aging and under-maintained.
Also, 40 per cent have access to improved water sources and 19 per cent have access to improved sanitation.
Henao said from the priority areas, the council had come up with ideas to present to the new government.
He also said the council had spoken with some of the major parties who had expressed keen interest in the ideas.