Minister for Works and Highways called on local contractors to ensure balance in their in cultural obligations and in growing their businesses.
Minister Peter Tsiamalili Jr made the call at the opening of the inaugural Construction and Contractors Conference held at the APEC Haus in Port Moresby on Wednesday April 8 2026.
Minister Tsiamalili Jr combined hard-hitting economic policy with PNG’s Melanesian Way when urging contractors to separate professional growth from cultural obligations in order to achieve success in their businesses and national programs such as Connect PNG.
He spoke about the Wantok System and the social pressures that often sabotage local businesses.
“You receive a K1.1 million contract, and before you know it, you’ve spent it on school fees for the village or community requests, and you’re short on your workers’ fortnights,” the Minister said.
He called on contractors to draw the line.
He said “Your real resume isn’t on a glamorous piece of paper, it is the quality and longevity of the roads you build,” adding that “talk is cheap, the road is the truth.”
Minister Tsiamalili Jr raised this while launching the Road Contractor Capacity Development Program, which is an initiative designed to bridge the gap between local firms and multinational giants.
The Programme is a structured pathway entailing three core pillars for classification, skills training and financial security for domestic companies to graduate into large-scale projects,
He challenged contractors to have honest conversations during the two-day conference because the Government is resetting.
“The Marape-Rosso government will come and go, but the system protecting this industry must live beyond politics,” he said.
“We are resetting the next 50 years of this nation today,” he said.
The Conference will now become an annual event organized by the Department of Works and Highways and its partners, with this year’s ending on Thursday April 9.