Papua New Guinea National Trade Office

Minister Maru Congratulates Richard Yakam on his Re-appointment as the Chief Trade Officer Minister Maru Congratulates Richard Yakam on his Re-appointment as the Chief Trade Officer Port Moresby, March 23, 2026- The Minister for International Trade and Investment, Hon. Richard Maru, congratulated Mr. Richard Yakam on his re-appointment as Chief Trade Officer for the National Trade Office....

Today marks the fourth day of the national consultation program, following three days of highly engaging, informative, and productive discussions. Participants have been actively involved in rigorous breakout sessions under the five Technical Working Groups (TWGs), with key agencies taking the lead in their thematic areas.

Throughout the sessions, senior officers from the National Trade Office (NTO) rotated between all five TWGs at 30-minute intervals, providing continuous guidance, responding to technical questions, and offering expert comments to support and strengthen the deliberations.

This morning, participants reconvened in a plenary session to deliberate on the consolidated outcomes from the TWG discussions. The plenary provides a platform to refine the inputs gathered, align perspectives, and build accord on the key recommendations emerging from the consultation.

This consultation exercise is of national importance, as the inputs generated will directly inform critical policy direction, negotiation positions, and future implementation strategies. It represents a collective effort to shape the country’s trade and economic future.

We acknowledge and sincerely thank the Minister for International Trade and Investment, Hon. Richard Maru, for his steadfast leadership through the Ministry.

We also express our appreciation to the Chief Trade Officer, Mr. Richard Yakam, for his consistent support and active participation throughout this important program.

As the coordinating agency, the National Trade Office is proud to work alongside all sister government agencies, private sector partners, civil society organizations, and provincial representatives who continue to contribute meaningfully to this national undertaking.

The five Technical Working Groups guiding the consultation are:
• Economic Cooperation
• Trade in Goods
• Trade in Services
• Dispute Settlement
• Intellectual Property Rights, Investment Facilitation, and SME Development

Together, these TWGs form the backbone of this consultation, ensuring that all critical areas of trade and economic cooperation are robustly examined and informed.

The National Trade Office remains committed to driving collaborative, inclusive, and forward-looking consultative processes that advance Papua New Guinea’s national interests.

𝗔 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘆𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆’𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 — 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿.

Today marks the third day of the PNG–UAE CEPA Lockdown Consultation Program in Madang, with participants continuing to attend in strong numbers at the Sana Conference Room.

The momentum of the workshop remains high as representatives from government agencies, the private sector, state entities and provincial administrations gather to take part in the detailed technical review of the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the United Arab Emirates.

This morning, coordinators of the five Technical Working Groups (TWGs) presented overviews of their respective chapters, outlining key issues, policy considerations, and areas requiring sector-specific input. These presentations are providing participants with a deeper understanding of the CEPA structure ahead of the group sessions.

Following the briefings, participants will break into their assigned TWGs to deliberate further, analyse the proposed chapters, and provide targeted comments, inputs, and recommendations.

The discussions held today will form an essential part of PNG’s consolidated position as the State Negotiating Team prepares for the next round of engagement with the UAE.

Participants have expressed strong interest and engagement, recognizing the importance of ensuring PNG’s priorities, opportunities, and national interests are fully captured in the agreement.

More updates will be provided as the consultations progress.

𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗣𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗖𝗘𝗣𝗔 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗨𝗔𝗘

The Chief Trade Officer of the National Trade Office Mr. Richard Yakam, addressed participants during the CEPA Lockdown Consultation Program in Madang, reaffirming the Government’s commitment to advancing the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Mr. Yakam acknowledged Secretaries, deputies, senior officials, and participants who travelled from across the country to attend the consultations, noting that their contributions were essential to shaping PNG’s long-term trade and investment direction. He also extends his welcome and thank the Secretary for the Department of Commerce and Development in the Autonomous Bougainville Government, Mr. Alex Kerangpuna for attending this very important consultation.

He outlined the background to the CEPA process, recalling that in July 2025 the Minister for International Trade and Investment Hon. Richard Maru, together with a PNG delegation, met with the UAE’s Minister responsible for Trade and investments. Those discussions explored the potential for a bilateral trade agreement and paved the way for the current CEPA negotiations. The UAE has since provided PNG with draft text comprising proposed articles, chapters, and requirements for the agreement.

Mr. Yakam stressed that Papua New Guinea must adopt a forward-looking approach, planning for the next 10 to 20 years. He urged agencies and technical teams to consider which PNG products and services have long-term potential in the UAE market, describing the UAE as a rapidly expanding global trade and investment hub.
“This consultation is important because it allows us to identify what needs to be done,” he said.

The Chief Trade Officer confirmed that the National Executive Council (NEC) has established a State Negotiating Team (SNT) to lead the CEPA process. To date, two national stakeholder meetings and one SNT meeting have been held. The SNT comprises the Department of Foreign Affairs, State Solicitor’s Office, Department of International Trade and Investment, Department of Prime Minister and NEC, Investment Promotion Authority, and the National Trade Office.

He noted that while CEPA will undergo periodic reviews, the main provisions represent a long-term commitment for the country.
“Negotiation and commitment to agreements such as CEPA require long-term dedication. What we decide now forms the foundation of a lifetime partnership,” he stated.

Mr. Yakam encouraged participants to clearly articulate PNG’s priorities, sector strengths, and specific requests so they can be reflected in the agreement. The CEPA is made up of 14 chapters, divided into five technical working groups, and he emphasised that each group must identify both PNG’s defensive and offensive positions.

“The technical working groups will tell us what to include, what to remove, and what opportunities PNG can offer to the UAE,” he said.
Citing recent data, Mr. Yakam reported that PNG exported approximately USD 35.8 million worth of goods to the UAE in 2023, while imports from the UAE amounted to around USD 9.3 million.

Although these figures are modest compared to trade with major partners such as Australia and Japan, he highlighted that the UAE is emerging as a significant global economic player and could serve as PNG’s gateway to the wider Arab market.

He also reminded participants of the implications of the World Trade Organization’s Most Favoured Nation (MFN) clause, which may require PNG to extend any concessions offered to the UAE to other major trading partners such as Japan, China, and New Zealand.

Mr. Yakam further informed the gathering that PNG’s National Trade Policy (2017–2032) is undergoing a mid-term review, which is being carried out parallel to the CEPA consultations. Two consultants supporting the review are in attendance at the workshop. He appealed to participants to provide them with the necessary information to strengthen the review process.

Mr. Yakam concluded by reaffirming the importance of collective effort, noting that the outcome of the consultations will directly influence PNG’s negotiating position and the future of the CEPA.

𝗣𝗡𝗚–𝗨𝗔𝗘 𝗖𝗘𝗣𝗔 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴

The Secretary for International Trade and Investment, Jacinta Warakai-Manua, officially opened the Papua New Guinea–United Arab Emirates (PNG–UAE) Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) Workshop in Madang, thanking senior representatives from key government departments and agencies, private sectors, provincial reps and participants for their attendance and commitment.

In her opening address, the Secretary reaffirmed that national priorities set out in the Medium-Term Development Plan IV (MTDP IV)—and consistently emphasised by the Government—focus on growing the economy and creating employment opportunities for Papua New Guineans. She stated that to achieve these goals, PNG must diversify beyond its traditional trade and investment partners and strategically position itself to capture emerging global opportunities.

She highlighted that the workshop represents a significant step forward as participants gather to review and deliberate on 14 proposed CEPA chapters with the United Arab Emirates. These chapters span critical areas such as Economic Cooperation, Government Procurement, Investment Facilitation, Intellectual Property Rights, Trade in Goods, Trade in Services, Rules of Origin, SME Development, Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, Technical Barriers to Trade, Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation, and Digital Trade.

Providing context, she noted that PNG has previously completed only one CEPA—its agreement with the European Union—which included 22 chapters. In contrast, the UAE has already concluded 27 CEPAs, including recent agreements with Australia and New Zealand, demonstrating its strong global trade engagement.

The Secretary underscored the ambitious timeline set for concluding the PNG–UAE CEPA, targeted for completion by the end of this year or early next year. She emphasised that the process will require a whole-of-government approach and urged all agencies to ensure that adequate resources are available to support their officers throughout the negotiation process. Drawing from PNG’s past experience with the EU Interim EPA and the institutional capacity built through major events such as APEC 2018, she expressed confidence in the country’s ability to undertake the negotiations effectively.

Secretary Manua also informed participants that two precursor agreements with the UAE—the Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (IPPA) and the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA)—are nearing completion, with only minor wording adjustments remaining in the IPPA.

She stressed the importance of inter-agency collaboration, noting that the CEPA’s success will depend heavily on sector-specific insights and policy contributions from each department, and private sectors. She praised the UAE’s rapid rise over the past fifty years into a global hub for finance, tourism, and trade facilitation, and encouraged PNG to strategically position itself to benefit from this partnership.

The Secretary concluded by thanking all stakeholders for their commitment and formally declared the PNG–UAE CEPA Workshop open.