Nomane Says PNG PM’s Sydney Trip Fails to Deliver Real Investment

 Papua New Guinea’s Parliamentary Opposition Leader James Nomane has taken aim at Prime Minister James Marape’s appearance at PNG Investment Week in Sydney, arguing that the high-profile event has done little to improve the country’s foreign investment climate.

Mr Nomane said the government continued to promote PNG as an attractive destination, yet investors were seeing little evidence to support that message.

In a statement, he claimed the administration had failed to attract meaningful Foreign Direct Investment since taking office in 2019. He argued that dealings with major foreign companies such as TotalEnergies, Puma Energy and Ok Tedi had contributed to what he described as a collapse in investor confidence.

“The mismanaged dealings with foreign entities like TotalEnergies, Puma Energy and Ok Tedi have damaged the government’s reputation and undermined PNG’s economic growth by eroding investor confidence, stifling capital inflows and isolating the country from global investment opportunities.”

Mr Nomane said the Prime Minister’s presence in Sydney amounted to political showmanship rather than evidence of economic progress. “Papua New Guinea was once again paraded as a ‘safe’ investment destination, a claim that rings hollow when FDI has been stagnant since 2019,” he said.

He added that Australia’s announcement of $600 million linked to the National Rugby League was more symbolic than beneficial for PNG. “This so-called ‘NRL carrot’ is less about supporting Papua New Guinea’s development and more about countering China’s influence in the region.”

Mr Nomane also criticised the Prime Minister’s overseas travel over the past six years, saying repeated trips abroad had yet to produce any new industry, substantial investment or the much-promised jobs. “These trips have not secured any meaningful FDI, new industry or the much-touted ‘1-million jobs’,” he said.

He argued that the narrative presented overseas did not match the challenges faced by citizens at home, insisting the government address crime, failing services and high living costs. “Until then, the rhetoric of ‘safe investment’ will remain a cruel joke, and the people of Papua New Guinea will continue to pay the price for empty promises.”