Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has highlighted the success of long-term education and workforce planning that has seen Papua New Guineans rise into leadership and operational roles at the PNG LNG project.

During his site visit on Sunday, the Prime Minister was informed that around 90 per cent of the current LNG workforce are national employees, a result he directly linked to targeted policy decisions made during his tenure as Education Minister between 2008 and 2010.

“We deliberately prepared our young Papua New Guineans for life after construction. Today, they are the engineers, technicians and managers running this world-class operation,” Prime Minister Marape said.

He said the localisation of skills reflects successful investment in education, training and workforce transition planning ahead of the PNG LNG production phase.

The Prime Minister also revealed that during a recent visit to ExxonMobil’s global headquarters, he met Papua New Guineans now working across the company’s international operations.

“I was told this is one of ExxonMobil’s best projects globally. To see our people leading operations here and contributing worldwide is deeply satisfying,” he said.