Davis: Aust investment helps to diversify PNG

AUSTRALIA’S investment in Papua New Guinea has helped drive and diversify the country’s economy through skills sharing and knowledge transfer, High Commissioner Bruce Davis says.
Davis, during the 35th Australia-PNG Business Forum and Trade Expo yesterday, said Australia was investing in key economic infrastructure in PNG.
“This investment has a potential to transform PNG, maximizing the opportunity the big exporting resources projects help build and transform the country’s small to medium enterprise sector, improving health and education outcomes and laying foundations of which the longer term sustainability of the economy will grow,” he said.
Davis said one of Australian’s most significant commitments to growth in infrastructure was the PNG electrification partnership programme led by the PNG Government and involving Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and US.
“We are working to help PNG achieve its objective of connecting 70 per cent of the population with electricity by 2030,” Davis said. “Progress towards this objective requires large-scale investment in key nation building infrastructure by both the public and private sectors.
“We have already started work to translate this commitment into concrete projects that will change the lives of communities across the country.”