CANCONEX24 is garnering a lot of attention as landowner clans and landowner companies (LandCos) from all of PNG major resource projects register in large numbers to attend to discuss community engagement, national content, business development and how to maximise social benefits of resource development in PNG.
CANCONEX stands for the PNG Community and National Content Conference, and will be second one held after the inaugural one was held in Lae in 2023, drawing rave reviews from landowners and around 800 attendees representing all major resource project operators, contractors and supplies, LandCos and landowner leaders from all resource project areas.
CANCONEX24 will be held as part of the inaugural PNG Resources Week, run by PNG Chamber of Energy & Resources (PNG CORE), and will comprise CANCONEX 24 (1-3 July 2024), PNG CORE Career Fair (3 July), PNG Resources Summit (4 July) and PNG Resources Dinner (4 July).
CANCONEX will feature 48 speakers, with the Prime Minister Marape invited to deliver an address on national content, and sessions to be held on topics as diverse as national content, landowner identification, benefits sharing, LandCo success stories, PNG disaster responses, Bougainville – lessons from closure and an eye to the future, Misima – mining closure case study, and Porgera – lessons from closure and re-start.
As expected, demand from exhibitors and attendees has been massive, with landowners registering in large numbers, exhibitors signing up for the 3-day expo that will accompany CANCONEX, and a number of corporate sponsors announced.
PNG CORE President Anthony Smaré stated “I am delighted by the interest from stakeholders who are registering either through their projects, via MRDC or their LandCos. CANCONEX 2023 in Lae was an outstanding success with all stakeholders represented, a lot of sharing of learnings and success stories from project development and local content, and a lot of new business relationships formed. I expect that CANCONEX 2024 will also be a huge success – we have secured part of the UPNG Campus for the week with a number of lecture halls hosting parallel programs of presentations and panels by stakeholders, business leaders and experts. There are a dozen MPs speaking during the program and the Prime Minister has been invited to deliver the keynote address on national content at the opening session on 1 July”
“I encourage stakeholders, suppliers and contractors to register if they are interested to learn more about how to participate in opportunities from resource project developments to register immediately by going to the PNG Resources Week website www.pngresourcesweek.com or by emailing events@pngcore.org.
We have capped attendance at thousand attendees for the event. There are also some expo booths left but companies need to register immediately to secure them.”