“Quality Care for All Preterm Babies will dramatically reduce preterm deaths,” UNICEF says. UNICEF urges healthcare workers and policy makers to guarantee high-quality healthcare for all preterm babies, no matter where, when, or how they are born, and calls on the government and partners to back initiatives that make quality maternal and newborn health care accessible to everyone. On World Prematurity Day, UNICEF Papua New Guinea (PNG) joins the global community in highlighting the urgent need for high-quality healthcare for preterm babies. This year’s theme, “Over 13 million babies born too soon every year. Access to quality care everywhere!”, emphasizes the critical importance of ensuring that every preterm baby receives the care they need to survive and thrive, regardless of their birthplace. In Papua New Guinea, the situation is particularly pressing, with 26,000 babies born preterm and lack access to specialized medical support to survive. UNICEF Papua New Guinea Interim Representative, Vikas Singh stated, “Preterm birth is a leading cause of neonatal death in Papua New Guinea.” “Preterm and low birth weight babies often face many difficulties, such as infections, low temperature, breathing problems and developmental delays.” “It is imperative that we work together to provide comprehensive, high-quality care to these vulnerable infants.” “This includes access to skilled healthcare professionals, essential medical equipment, and supportive policies that prioritize maternal and newborn health.” UNICEF PNG is committed to supporting the government and healthcare providers in improving neonatal care services. Through partnerships with the national department of health, professional associations, donors and partners, UNICEF is working to: Enhance healthcare infrastructure: Equip hospitals and clinics with the necessary equipment and technology to care for preterm and low birth weight babies. Train healthcare workers: Provide specialized training for doctors, nurses, and midwives to ensure they are equipped to handle the complexities of preterm births. Raise awareness: Educate communities about the importance of prenatal care, institutional deliveries, and early intervention to prevent preterm births. Advocate for policy changes: Work with policymakers to develop and implement strategies that support maternal and newborn health. On this World Prematurity Day, UNICEF calls on all stakeholders, including government agencies, healthcare providers, and the community, to join forces in ensuring that every preterm baby in Papua New Guinea has access to the quality care they deserve and the best possible start in life.

In a strong game Saturday afternoon, the Capital Rugby Union (CRU) Boromas clawed their way to a 19-7 victory over the Morobe Rugby Union (MRU) Hammerheads in the 2024 Vodafone Cup Challenge match played at the Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby. The match was a fierce battle with both teams vying for dominance. The first half displayed a strong defence from both sides, however, Boromas backs, Ron Butler scored the first try. The first half ended with the halftime score, 7-0 in favour of CRU Boromas. The Hammerheads, despite their strong start, were unable to maintain their momentum and instead the Boromas, with their disciplined approach, outplayed the Hammerheads’ mistakes scoring crucial tries. Both teams showed significant achievement in both their defence and skill, showcasing their testament to hard work. This was also quite a game for the Hammerheads who had an outstanding line of players that defended and fought right through until the end. The Hammerheads may be disappointed with the result and end scoreline, but many agree the scoreline did not match the fierce battle that was this showdown between both rep teams. The Hammerheads can further take solace in their strong performance particularly in the early stages of the match and aim for better moving forward.

All schools in the National Education System (NES) as well as all Provincial and National Education Authorities and agencies have been asked to familiarize themselves with the Security Features of original school certificates to differentiate the fake ones from genuine ones. Education Secretary, Dr Uke Kombra said that forging of certificates of any kind is criminal in nature and blocks the growth of all citizens internally and their international participation. "This he strongly urged that nobody should engage in such despicable acts. “I appeal to all Papua New Guineans to report anyone forging or producing fake certificates to Police, to contain any such self-destroying mal practices." "I demand all our Citizens to be honest and loyal to PNG." For a long time, the genuine certificates have had Small-texts, Micro-texts and Embossing as the Security features in the grade eight, grade ten and grade twelve certificates. Since 2018, several new security features have been added, for grades eight, ten, twelve, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), Flexible, Open and Distance Education (FODE), Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and Teacher Registration Certificates, with the intent to make them fool-proof from any malpractices. Kombra stated that certificates are printed by international Security Printing Companies and can’t be duplicated. The current features are as given below; 1. Small-texts – the lines, have the minute texts with the Certificate Names 2. Micro-texts – ‘line width modulations’ as in the cheque books 3. Embossing – Seal with the Year, raised from Normal, can be felt by touch 4. Serial Numbers – Different certificates have their own sequence numbers 5. Gold Foil Hot Stamping – of the Certificate Names. Raised from normal 6. Holograms (as in Driver’s License) – PNG Crest with different shiny colors 7. UV Crest – Ultra-violet equipment detectable PNG Crest 8. Anti-copy – this feature has certain elements hidden from normal viewing 9. Few other features – Measurement Services Division identifiable Furthermore, Kombra said that it is crucial to ensure the authenticity of school certificates to avoid potential legal and professional consequences.

Air Niugini is currently promoting its rebranded Kumul Club passenger loyalty program throughout the domestic ports, commencing with a recent roadshow that took place in Lae, Morobe Province. This is to inform members of the new look Kumul club following its rebranding from Executive Club in September and the enhanced benefits and value adds as part of the change. Air Niugini’s Manager, Destinations Loyalty Program, Henry Gelu, said that with the arrival of the airline’s new aircraft fleet now less than ten months away, it’s an exciting time for Air Niugini and with the service improvements in all areas, are key to its future success. The improvements to Kumul Club and Destinations loyalty program are also the airline’s way of recognizing and rewarding its loyal, valued customers. Gelu explained to members in Lae the three distinguished membership tiers of the new look Kumul club and the added benefits such as improved baggage allowance and lounge access, among others. “The three membership tiers are Kumul Club-Premium (formerly known as Executive club Gold), Kumul Club-Domestic (previously known as Executive club Silver), and Kumul club-Junior (formerly known as Minors’ club). These tiers offer enhanced privileges for the club’s esteemed members tailored to their membership tier level.” “There are plans for new lounges to be opened soon. Our members will benefit from the lounges as well as improved baggage allowance and increased in guests’ passes.” “Other enhancements include, immediate points recognition, improved redemption levels, virtual downloads, online membership payments, online claims for missing points, statement downloads and family membership. Kumul club members will also have access to exclusive discount with our partners.” Air Niugini also introduced Status Points to its Destination’s Frequent Flyer Programme which is the airline’s way of recognizing and rewarding loyal members based on their travel. Customers can accumulate points together with their Destinations Loyalty Points to reach the different Kumul club membership tiers (Platinum and Gold), every time they travel with Air Niugini. Status Points compliments the existing rewards points system, allowing members to achieve elite status faster and enjoy more benefits. Also, the Destinations Flyer Programme remains free to join and has already attracted over 127, 000 members both within PNG and overseas. Annual membership fees for the new Kumul Club also remain unchanged and members will continue to have access to domestic and international lounges, subject to their membership tier. Meanwhile, Air Niugini’s Deputy Board Chairman, Anthony Seeto attended the Lae event and thanked the airline’s valued customers for their continuous support and loyalty. He gave an insight on Air Niugini’s re-fleeting program, the progress of the Airbus A220s’ Entry into Service (EIS), Air Niugini’s code share and partnership with other major airlines and the potential of direct international flights out of Nadzab Tomodachi International Airport in Lae when market conditions are more suitable. The next roadshow on the new look Kumul Club will be carried out in Rabaul, East New Britain province and Mt Hagen, Western Highlands province respectively.

As part of expanding its business, Jacks of PNG yet again opened a new shop in Port Moresby city. The grand opening took place at the Brian Bell Plaza in Boroko on Monday 11th of November, marking it as the latest addition to the growing business. The newly opened shop is the third shop located in Port Moresby and the sixth store nationwide with one already established in Mt Hagen, Western Highlands province, Lae, Morobe province and one in Madang province. Shop Manager of Jacks of PNG at Brian Bell Plaza, James Koma, shared excitement as he and his team celebrate the opening of the addition of a new Jacks of PNG shop. “As for my team and I, we are very excited moving forward and are privilege to have Jacks promote us as locals by giving us the opportunity to have a job at Jacks.” “Also with the opening, we are willing to help assist and grow with the company moving forward, so we want to develop especially in terms of human development and discipline.” Jacks of PNG has been in operation for eight years now.

PinBox, a global social pension tech and digital micro-pension inclusion innovation, administration and expert advisory services firm, has now collaborated with the Centre for Financial Inclusion (CEFI) in promoting mass scale voluntary subscription in micro pension and insurance products in Papua New Guinea (PNG). PinBox is already working in over half-dozen countries in Asia and Africa to support pension inclusion for non-salaried informal sector workers. This partnership signed through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between both organizations will run for three years where both parties will work together to promote the products through guidelines set out in the MoU. The Bank of Papua New Guinea (BPNG) recently granted PinBox entry into the BPNG Regulatory Sandbox to customize and pilot test its innovative digital-micro-pension administration and delivery platform and inclusion model to help expand voluntary uptake of superannuation, insurance and micro-savings products among MSMEs, self-employed women, informal sector workers and farm communities. PinBox is accordingly working with BPNG, Nasfund, ASFPNG, development partners, microbanks, payment gateways and other digital financial inclusion stakeholders under the Project to promote micro-pension and insurance concepts and products. At a brief but significant signing ceremony, both organizational heads expressed their excitement in working together to introduce superannuation and insurance awareness and knowledge to the self-employed population of the country. According to Co-founder and Director of PinBox Solutions, Gautam Bhardwaj, the PinBox team is delighted to be partnering with a highly respected and forward-looking institution like CEFI on expanding superannuation and insurance coverage among self-employed women, youth and micro-enterprises in Papua New Guinea. “It is a privilege to be working with an agency that has continued to play such a pivotal role in financial inclusion and in driving not only policy but also ground level impact in this area in PNG.” In response to this, CEFI Executive Director, Mr. Saliya Ranasinghe stated that this was a very important programme that both organizations will be venturing into because they will educate the informal sector workforce on micro-pension and insurance products through effective communication, training, financial literacy tools and strategies. “We are delighted to partner with PinBox and to get this important strategy into the mainstream of Papua New Guinean informal sector.” “We will be working in two provinces to start with on a pilot basis, and then, based on the lessons learned, we will be expanding the field-tested model and strategy to other provinces where informal sector workers and their families will benefit and will start saving for their retirement.” One of the joint obligations of both CEFI and PinBox is to customize the PinBox retirement literacy and training toolkits for PNG for deployment under this project. The toolkits include calculators, FAQs, trainer handbooks, leaflets, flip charts and educational videos. In addition, both organizations will also design new, effective promotional and publicity materials as well as other training and financial literacy tools for use by field staff during field meetings with target beneficiaries.

Policewomen and wives of policemen as well as daughters from the National Captial District (NCD) and Central Provincial Commands, will now be privileged to do free breast cancer checkups that will be provided by the Chinese embassy here in Port Moresby city. This is an initiative from the new commander of NCD and Central Province, Chief Superintendent Benjamin Turi. Commander Turi, who resumed his duties this week, organized the medical team who visited his office at Boroko to negotiate how best to help the policewomen, the policemen's wives, and their daughters learn the status of this deadly disease. Turi said that since the test is free, all police officers in the command are encouraged to provide the names of those in their families who are recognized by the police department. His office will provide the total number to the Chinese medical team to book a venue for testing next week. “Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) has been very helpful in raising funds to help the fight against cancer. We had lost families and relatives who could not cure themselves from breast cancer and we also have police officers who are always busy with work and spend less time with their families to visit hospitals and do checkups.” He said that since the Chinese medical team had come forward to help, he wanted all to submit names as soon as possible so they could go by the names. For those who are outside of the city, we will discuss that and will see how best we can reach out to you all. “This is a start, and we will continue. I want all police station commanders to go through your manpower list and provide names for the females who will come for the testing.” “We must think about our female colleagues and our wives, mothers and daughters. Cancer is a killer disease, so the earlier, the better.” Furthermore, a venue will be selected when the names are submitted to his office.

Prime Minister (PM) James Marape recently opened a two-day forum on Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) in Port Moresby on Monday night this week, describing it as a milestone achievement aimed at empowering Papua New Guineans to participate in the country’s economy. The multi-million kina 'Improved TVET for Employment' project is co-funded by three partners including Australian Government, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and PNG Government, and is being implemented by the Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology through ten TVET colleges in different parts of the country. While thanking the two co-sponsors of the project, PM Marape highlighted that if Papua New Guineans are to be empowered to the highest level, it has to be in the education sector, but more so in the area of TVET where they are provided the skills and ethics to be competent and to be able to participate meaningfully in the country’s economy. He stated that in the past five years, despite the country facing hardships due to COVID-19, it was able to grow its economy but also highlighted were huge deficiencies in the lack of properly skilled manpower to sustain the economy. “By the end of this year, we will post K40 million GDP (Gross Domestic Product). But in the midst of this growth, I’ve seen a major deficiency that we carry; we lack properly skilled workforce to fill in the gap to sustain the growth that is required.” “We aim to grow a K200 million economy. To grow it, we need a skilled workforce.’’ He emphasized that this sector is closest to his heart and thanked the Asian Development Bank for taking heed of his request few years ago to move from its traditional role in sponsoring the infrastructure projects such as roads, ports and airports, to the education sector with a particular focus on TVET. PM Marape also stated that the TVET project complements the improvements being made in the infrastructure sector as without skilled people, there would be no one to work in the construction sector. “In my view, it complements the ports, roads and airports that we are trying to invest in. Or what use is investment in roads, if we don’t have people to work in the construction sector, so thank you, ADB.” In addition, he highlighted that it has shown through studies that an economy is successful because it is anchored by a properly skilled blue-collar workforce. The Prime Minister also pointed out the efforts being made to address the growing problem of dropouts by phasing out grade eight and grade ten school leavers so all children can progress and complete grade twelve, who will be prepared to streamline into TVET or tertiary institutions such as universities. In thanking Australia for being PNG’s major bilateral development partner since Independence, he highlighted that the workforce being developed in PNG should not only benefit PNG but also Australia and New Zealand. Moreover, he urged the two countries to consider employing Papua New Guineans not just in working as seasonal fruit-pickers but also in professional jobs, including trades as, PNG has long been influenced by Western societies including through Christianity, which makes it much easier for Papua New Guineans to adjust in the two countries than realized. The project, Improved TVET for Employment, was initiated ten years ago when PM Marape was then the finance minister under the previous government. The key areas in the project include improving governance and management in the colleges, focusing on teacher training, improving the curriculum and gender-inclusive infrastructure. PM Marape’s role in the project was acknowledged during the opening night by other speakers, including Project Manager Dr George Bopi-Kerepa.

Kina Bank has recently donated K20, 000 to the National St John Ambulance (NStJA) service to support the training of ambulance staff at the National Ambulance Education college in Port Moresby city. The donation was made by the bank’s Business Banking team who raised the funds themselves as part of their community initiative. NStJA Chief Executive Commissioner, Matt Canon, expressed the National St John Ambulance Council’s gratitude for Kina Bank’s donation and expressed his thanks to this grant in which they were able to acquire essential training equipment for their new ambulance education center. “This equipment is instrumental in training hundreds of ambulance workers and first responders each year, ensuring patients receive higher-quality emergency care in their time of greatest need.” Kina Bank Executive General Manager of Business Banking, Rayleene Elston while thanking her staff for their fundraiser efforts, expressed how proud they were to see that their contribution is directly supporting the education and training of ambulance personnel, ensuring their readiness to serve now and into the future. The cheque presentation took place on the 22nd of October at the St John Ambulance headquarters at 3 Mile in Port Moresby and was attended by representatives from both the bank and the St John Ambulance teams. Kina Bank remains committed in supporting vital community services and looks forward to continuing its partnership with the National St John Ambulance Service Council.

Enga Provincial Police Commander (PPC), Chief Superintendent Fred Yakasa in a video addressing incidents in the province, gave an update on the Sirunki incident that took place on the 22nd of October where a PMV bus was ambushed in Lagaip resulting in the death of six people who were passengers on board that bus. He made an appeal to the people of Sirunki specifically to the tribal groups of Lyain and Moen when he made a surprise visit along with some of his men. He also made an appeal to them to surrender the suspects. According to the Supt. Yakasa, the people of both tribes asked for the suspects of the previous incidents that had occurred before to surrender first before they surrender their own, however, Supt Yakasa told them they won’t be doing so and that they need to surrender those involved and from there can talk peace amongst the relatives of the victims. “After making the appeal, the people then spoke and came up with a decision to have the suspects surrender which saw a total of seven suspects who are now locked up at Wabag police station.” The next step is for the police force to now approach another tribe called Mulapin in which they would have their suspects surrender as well. This is according to Supt. Yakasa who stated that there are several tribes now involved, especially in the massacre that took place in Sirunki. “As it is now, the highway is now safe for public motor vehicles to travel, however, commuters are still advised to take precautionary measures.” “I have instructed my men to turn back PMVs from Wabag travelling further to Lagaip and further to Mulitaka.” The victims of the October 22nd killings include two from Mulitaka, three from Sirunki and one from Lagaip area. Supt. Yakasa also added that they are camping at Sirunki High School to ensure that no further conflict erupts from this situation. “There are so many tribes involved in the latest massacre so there’s potential for problems if we don't go up there and suppress it from the beginning. The law-and-order division in Enga would go out and try to mediate peace in terms of the communities but that will not stop the police from doing their normal duties in apprehending more suspects.” He further stated that this is as far as the police have progressed on the investigations, especially with the arrests of those suspects and are hoping to make more arrests in relation to these violent attacks and incidents that have occurred.

Police Commander of National Capital District (NCD) and Central Province acting ACP Benjamin Turi, is calling on all police officers down the rank and file to assist the acting NCD Metropolitan Superintendent, Mazuc Rubiang in ensuring Port Moresby city is clean and safe for everyone. He said all members must give their undivided support to the new Met. Supt. and expressed appreciation for having so far done a tremendous job under his leadership. According to Rubiang, fewer crimes were reported during the weekend in and around Port Moresby city. He said this was based on the police reports he had received through police reporting channels. He commented also on the looks of the city, stating that the city now looks clean especially at the traffic lights, bus stops and public areas where people usually do street vending. Rubiang said that since the awareness program in which the police did convoys and drunk patrols, some people have adhered to the awareness programs. “Police will continue to do awareness again this week and will start enforcing what they had been doing awareness on. The stricter police bail rates that had been set by the bail authorities of NCD command are active and police will not hesitate to arrest people who do street vending, in possession of offensive weapons, using or holding onto phones when driving, domestic violence and ethnic clashes.” “The police bail rates are as follows Ethnic clashes is K10, 000 police bail, alcohol-related offence is K5, 000, domestic violence is K2, 000, carrying of offence weapons is K10, 000, street vending is K5, 000 and using a phone while driving is K5, 000 police bail.” The penalty applies to all including police officers and anyone of the general public. He said so far there have been some improvements in the city, and this is a good sign that people are adhering to what has been said. He also stated that police are moving around observing locations where street vendors are still doing marketing, and they will come in numbers to arrest those who are selling or are loitering at places that are not designated marketplaces. “I want to call on the public to help police enforce these laws. It's not only the police who will police up these places because we are outnumbered. We have fewer police officers in the city who cannot be everywhere in the city at one time.” “Police officers are working one shift and when one shift rests, the other shift comes on duty. Those who are working in the specialist divisions work only during the weekdays. Those who work during the weekdays can be called in to assist when needed.” Supt. Rubiang further added that since the city is clean, and people are not congregating in public places, this must continue to be maintained. He said the police will still be out in numbers to whatever instructions that he tells them to do.

SITA, the leading technology provider for the air transport industry, has announced a new partnership with Air Niugini to integrate STA’s recently launched SITA Connect Go Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) platform into the airline’s digital infrastructure. The solution will link Air Niugini’s six international airport and sales offices to the airline’s head office in Port Moresby and its cloud-hosted applications. SITA Connect Go is the only integrated networking and security solution designed specifically for the air transport industry, offering secure connectivity for Air Niugini’s global workforce, whether stationed in the office or working remotely. The solution will improve productivity, offer enhanced flexibility, and increase the average bandwidth by about forty times, all while mitigating risks associated with traditional internet deployments. With many other airlines in final discussions to embark on the SITA SASE journey, this partnership marks the first implementation of SITA Connect Go SASE in the APAC (Asia Pacific) region and showcases the solution’s value for airlines’ international operations. SITA Connect Go aims to help the industry transform its network capabilities to meet evolving bandwidth, resilience, security, and automation needs while remaining cost competitive. President of SITA APAC, Sumesh Patel stated that this new partnership with Air Niugini is a big step for the region as they look to continue offering solutions that cater to their customers’ needs. “Our end-to-end secure network solutions are a great way for airlines to stop worrying about their network capabilities and concentrate on other important priorities across their operations. By offering them robust security, increased bandwidth, and a higher flexibility for their staff, we can help them do just that.” Meanwhile, Air Niugini’s Chief Executive Officer, Gary Seddon said that their partnership with SITA to implement the SITA Connect Go SASE platform is a transformative step in the digital evolution. He further stated that this solution will significantly enhance the connectivity and security of their operations, allowing them to better serve their passengers, improve productivity across their international offices and future-proof their infrastructure as ANG continue to expand. “We are proud to be the first airline in the APAC region to adopt this cutting-edge technology, reinforcing our commitment to operational excellence and innovation.”