Monday 22^nd February, 2017 – Port Moresby: Minister for National Planning, and Acting Minister for Public Enterprises and State Investments   Hon. Charles Abel today called a media conference to clarify the Government’s main policy priorities through the Kumul Consolidation Agenda.

Minister Abel stated:

• At the outset, our focus should be on ensuring that all relevant boards and MDs/CEOs of the SOEs are in place and addressing all operational issues;

• The government’s overarching objective is to progress the social and economic well-being of the citizens of Papua New Guinea;

• This includes promoting an efficient enabling environment (policies, regulations and legislations) for private sector as the primary generator of wealth and job creation to flourish;

• Government generally only intervenes in the private sector as an active participant when private capital or entities will not and the particular service is vital or strategic;

• The Kumul Consolidation Agenda is intended to improve synergy, coordination and efficiency to the National Government’s participation in commercial activities;

• This includes the aggregating of related Government companies in different sectors such as Telecommunication, energy, agriculture, etc;

• The Department of Public Enterprises is to provide policy development and oversight in concert with the Minister and Cabinet. It is not to get involved in project development. Any such projects are to be handed over to the relevant subsidiary companies or ceased;

• KCH is to oversee the implementation of government policy through the respective subsidiary companies including the most appropriate corporate structuring in relation to the non-mining & petroleum related majority owned government companies;

• This government policy includes capital structuring to involve private capital and management as much as possible;

• KCH should cease developing numerous business projects and only get involved in project development for large scale strategic capital projects on behalf of the sector specific subsidiaries;

• All government companies should generate an adequate return of capital; and

• All government companies should be restructured in order to free up resources and introduce efficiency into the economy unless there is a particular strategic interest or private capital cannot be attracted.

In closing Minister Abel said that KCH needs to regroup and refocus on the job ahead and he was confident that it has a solid foundation of sound corporate governance that would expose and address weaknesses, and identify opportunities if and when they arose.

“I have assumed the role of caretaker Minister of this important Ministry with only two months before the National Elections.”

“In that short period of time I intend to create focus and clarity, and highlight the synergy between National Planning and the three entities – Kumul Consolidated Holdings, Kumul Minerals and Kumul Petroleum.”