District establishes team to study economic zone

A TECHNICAL team for the Gazelle Agro-Industrial Special Economic Zone (GAISEZ) has been established to do feasibility studies on endorsed projects in Gazelle, East New Britain (ENB).
GAISEZ chairman Sam Manikot told The National yesterday that they had completed the first draft of the study.
Manikot said the study would provide the initial platform for planning and identifying designated free trade zone (FTZ) areas to be gazetted.
He said the Government had established the Special Economic Zone Authority (SEZA) Act in 2019 but there was no policy to operationalise declared FTZs in the country.
“There are total of 17 declared FTZs in PNG, which include the two in ENB, of the 15 FTZs none have really taken off and one of the reasons is the policy vacuum,” he said.
“One of the directives by the National Executive Council for economic zones in ENB, which include Rabaul tuna export processing zone and GAISEZ, is to come up with development plans and implementation pathways that will inform the national development plans and strategies and draft policies for free trade zones.”
Manikot said this special economic zone was linked to the Gazelle district development authority and would have its own laws to operate and the GAISEZ technical team and board would establish a special intervention and advisory unit under the Prime Minister’s Department.
He added that the overall intention was to institutionalise the National Free Trade Zone Authority with specific responsibilities for licensing, regulation, coordination and facilitation of economic zones creating a vibrant environment for businesses in PNG.