Prime Minister James Marape has thanked the MRDC Group for its valuable contribution to national economic growth since its inception 44 years ago.

PM Marape meeting and chatting with MRSM Directors John Atmiyok and David Kaiankim during the event.

The Prime Minster said MRDC and its subsidiary companies, well entrenched as they are in resources project areas around the country, will continue to be a meaningful partner with the government in delivering vital development projects to uplift the living standard of people living in very remote areas.

Prime Minister Marape was speaking at the Hilton Hotel on Thursday when meeting directors of MRDC and its entire group of subsidiaries.

It’s a first in the company’s 44-year history, for the Prime Minister who is Shareholder/Trustee to meet all 44 directors of MRDC’s current 10 company boards, including the main MRDC board. The occasion was a ‘meet and greet’ event organised by MRDC at the closing of a 5-day company directors’ course at the Hilton Hotel in Port Moresby.

The Prime Minister singled out the landowner directors and thanked them for their contribution to taking PNG to where it is now through the extraction of resources from their land.

“From the Fly River to the Star Mountains of the great Western Province, from Moran Oil Fields to Kutubu Oil Fields, Gobe Oil Fields, and many other landowners across the country, you are very very important because of your continuous support.”

He said he was pleased that landowner directors were taking part in the one week training to expand their knowledge and skill about how to manage their own companies.

“I appreciate you all as the shareholder of MRDC but mostly as a landowner myself I appreciate that these landowner leaders are getting up to speed (through training).

“Their performance and success at that level will consolidate the companies they manage. Sometimes we take our leadership role for granted and we also assume that they know what they’re doing.”

“I appreciate the fact that MRDC was able to step up to empower Directors with valuable information and knowledge on how they can contribute to the various companies in which they make critical leadership calls.”

He said with increased knowledge and awareness, their decision would translate to success, pointing to the Hilton Hotel as one of their many success stories.

“Who would have thought that we would be standing in a modern opulent hotel in what used to be a pit site four years ago,” the Prime Minister said.

In a first of its kind, MRDC management teamed up with the Australia Institute of Company Directors (AICD) to organise the training for the board directors of the group to equip them with vital training to improve the effectiveness of the boards through knowledge of governance, financial literacy and more strategic approaches in decision making.

PM Marape thanked MRDC managing Director Augustine Mano and his management and staff for the wisdom in mobilizing the directors together for the training.

“Thank you MRDC, this sort of training is very important we take our Directors for granted, they are very important lead between us, the central government and the local shareholders who are very, very important people.

“Our shareholders expect more from us. So training these directors to ensure they are equipped with better skills and can make critical decisions; Investment decisions and management decisions that can ensure that we’re not squandering wealth for growth and sustainable wealth for the future.

He congratulated the directors and wished them the best as they go back to contribute to their subsidiaries.