Even after poor countries with their abundance of oil & gas and other natural resources experience the thrill of discovery and exploitation, the road to accessing what they consider to be their fair share of those resources, is still often strewn with formidable obstacles, as both Guyana and Papua New Guinea (PNG) are finding out.
The 463,000 square kilometre Pacific island country, which was under administration by Australia for 60 years until 1975, is currently locked in an animated battle with the American oil giant ExxonMobil and other powerful international companies in various quests to secure a greater share of the country’s wealth.
Sections of the international media have honed in on PNG Prime Minister James Marape’s recent blunt address to the PNG National Assembly which outlined what his administration considers to be the country’s fair share of the returns from its natural resources, notably its liquefied natural gas (LNG), and which, down the road, could well serve as a template for other countries, not least, Guyana to follow.