A moratorium on new Forest Clearance Authorities, recently announced by the PNG Forest Authority, has been welcomed by community advocacy organization ACT NOW, but the group says the measure does not go far enough.

KK Connections Limited

• Number of concessions (1993-2021): 15
• Total Log export (2019-21): 991,615 m³
• Market share of log export (2019-21): 10%

KK Connection Cluster (From"The New Timber Baron Report")

WTK HOLDINGS

• Number of Logging Concessions (1993-2021): 19
• Total Log Exports (2019-2021): 1.3 million cubic meters
• Market share of all log exports (2019-2021): 14%

WTK Cluster ( from "The New Timber Baron Report") 

Map showing location of log exporting TRP projects 2019-21

More than thirty large-scale logging projects appear to be operating in defiance of a Court ban issued by the Deputy Chief Justice in June 2021. Together the logging operations accounted for 40% of Papua New Guinea’s total log exports in the twelve months from July 2021.

Papua New Guinea’s latest corruption score is a damning indictment of the government’s failure to properly fund anti-corruption agencies and it confirms PNG as one of the most corrupt country in the world.

THE NATIONAL (February 3rd 2023) 

By FRANK SENGE KOLMA (fskolma@gmail.com) 

Papua New Guinea has a problem. The Pangu-led government’s silence on a major breakdown in decision-making speaks volumes on the lack of leadership quality and the stance of the current government in fighting corruption.

As exposed last week, an estimated K20 million (AU$8 million) has gone to waste on the purchase of expensive and unnecessary Maserati sports cars, yet no one is being held accountable.

By Customary Land Advocate. 

A much-publicized four-lane road is being constructed by a Chinese company while customary landowners are not aware of what is going on. It is a perverted ploy by the State through its agencies and certain individuals to bring what seems to be a glamorous mode of development to Morobe Province at the expense of people’s customary land.

By Land Advocate

Exactly 25 days to 2023 and 96 Districts and 22 Provinces are yet to put together their five-year development plans. An eye-popping K24.56 Billion is budgeted to be spent in fiscal year 2023 and that amount will continue to increase for the next five years.

The question though is, how will the people benefit from those funds and how will the spending translate at province and district levels?