By Gino KOPA (UPNG Journalism Student), Post Courier

Development plans have consistently fallen short of achieving Papua New Guinea’s National Goals, says Former Treasurer Bart Philemon. Reflecting on over 50 years of progress, he highlights the gap between aspiration and practical outcomes.

Congratulations to ACT NOW Campaign Manager Eddie Tanago who has today been announced as a Divine Word University Alumni Awardee for 2025.

Honoured as a 'titan of civil society' for his work defending land rights and fighting for justice, the University says Eddie’s advocacy has resonated across PNG and the entire world.

ACT NOW! PNG has released its second annual District Development Authority Watch Report, covering the period July 2024 to June 2025.

The findings reveal entrenched failures in transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement across Papua New Guinea’s 96 District Development Authorities (DDAs). This is despite rising government investment of public funds through service improvement and infrastructure grants totaling almost K2 billion a year.

A new case study by ACT NOW! and Jubilee Australia Research Centre has revealed serious concerns about ongoing logging operations under a Forest Clearing Authority (FCA) in Wanigela, Oro Province.

The report details how the logging has been allowed to proceed despite strong local opposition, evidence the FCA is not being used for forest clearance and agriculture, and concerns over legal compliance.

The case study examines Northern Forest Products Limited, the license owner, operating under an FCA first granted in 2017. 

The Prime Minister’s promise to stop issuing new forestry licences will do nothing to stop illegal logging destroying Papua New Guinea’s tropical forests, says ACT NOW!

Addressing the recent meeting of the Green Climate Fund in Port Moresby, the Prime Minister is reported to have said no new forestry licences will be issued after 16^th September, the 50th anniversary of PNG’s Independence. 

However, stopping new logging licences is an empty gesture that will have no practical impact.

ACT NOW has launched a new advertising campaign on radio and television calling on the PNG Forest Authority to take immediate action on the abuse of Forest Clearing Authority licences.

Panguna mine in Bougainville (2022) PC: Island Business Pacific News

Cathy Tukne | Information Coordinator

Eddie Tanago | Campaign Manager

A recent news story about communities in Morobe using their profits from cocoa farming to pay for solar powered street lights for their villages is very encouraging and positive. Such initiatives drive economic independence, a sense of community and self reliance.

Eddie Tanago | Campaign Manager

ACT NOW is calling on the Prime Minister and regulatory agencies to take urgent action to address the huge discrepancies in log export values revealed in a recent report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

By Fr. Giorgio Licini, Caritas PNG Advocacy