Medium Term Development Plan IV 2023 - 2027.

The Medium-Term Development Plan IV is a national policy with a multi-sectoral approach. The timeframe of the policy is 5 years covering the period between 2023 and 2027. This policy outlines the Government’s strategic policies, aimed at achieving three key developmental objectives: (a) growing the economy to K200 billion by 2030, (b) the creation of one million additional jobs, and (c) improving the quality of life for all PNG citizens. The Government aims at investing in strategic priority areas to trigger national growth, transformation and prosperity. The 12 strategic priority areas are as follows: (I) strategic economic investment, (II) connect PNG infrastructure, (III) quality and affordable health care, (IV) quality education and skilled human capital, (V) rule of law and restorative justice, (VI) national security, (VII) national revenue and public finance management, (VIII) digital government, national statistics and public service governance, (IX) research, science and technology, (X) climate change and protection of the natural environment, (XI) population, youth and women empowerment, and (XII) strategic partnerships.
This policy will broaden the economic base by strategically investing in sectors where PNG has a comparative advantage, including agriculture, forestry, fisheries, mining and petroleum, clean energy and the micro, small and medium scale enterprises sector. Investments will focus on large-scale commercial projects that go beyond primary production to include agro-processing and value adding along the whole supply chain. Smallholder involvement will be further strengthened to generate income earning opportunities in nearby rural areas. In the medium term, a new National Agriculture Sector Plan and overarching legislation will be developed to ensure strong governance and coordination of the sector. The existing legislation on mining and petroleum sectors will be reviewed to promote equal distribution of benefits, add value to the economy, and encourage trade and investment. The fisheries and marine resources sector will be developed to yield substantial economic benefits and create additional jobs. To this end, the investment will be promoted for the development of value-added processing of fisheries and marine resource projects, combating illegal and unregulated fishing within the EEZ, diversification of international market access, creating domestic markets for marine products, and promoting micro, small and medium scale enterprises. Measures will be taken to ban all round log exports and promote downstream processing of logs to add value to forest products for export. At least three forestry hubs will be developed in the country, to position itself to advance into the full downstream processing mode, and gradually phase-out log exports. This will be facilitated through changes in forestry policies, legislation, and regulations. Private sector investment will be promoted in land development by unlocking customary land and making it bankable. Under the National Land Development Program, customary lands will be surveyed and registered for acquisition by the state and/or private sector. This will enable landowners to participate as equity partners in the development of their land for investment purposes.
Climate change mitigation will be ensured, focusing on agriculture, forestry, land and other land-use (AFLOU) and energy (electricity) sectors. The Government will take measures to be carbon neutral within the energy industries sub-sector. Ongoing adaptation measures will be incorporated in the programs and projects development in health, infrastructure, agriculture and transport, to mitigate climate change losses. Disaster risk reduction and management will be strengthened to increase the resilience of communities to disasters. Relevant legislation and policies will be developed and adopted to ensure the conservation of terrestrial and marine biodiversity for future generations.
The National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) Program will be implemented to deliver safe water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure to schools, health centres, communities and rural towns and peri-urban centres. All Government systems will be modenized and integrated to help improve the efficiency, accountability, and effectiveness of information management. This policy addresses the strategic investments in research, science and technology to enable growth and transformation into a smart nation. Agricultural research will be conducted to improve the knowledge and technologies for strengthening value chains and increasing productivity, and to address the threats of emerging pests and diseases, climate change, and food insecurity. Youth programs will be mainstreamed into sectoral plans to help their empowerment and participation in development processes. Women will be empowered by creating fair and equal opportunities in education, sports, arts, employment, business activities and political representation. Equal rights of women, children, elderly, the poor and people living with disabilities will be promoted to enable them to fully participate in the socioeconomic development of PNG.