TAKE BACK PNG – TAKE ONE PROPERTY AT A TIME
–Real Estate Talk with Ishmael Long
Land is power. Land is wealth.
And in a country like Papua New Guinea, where more than 90% of land is under customary ownership and only a small percentage is state lease land, the opportunity to own and control state lease land is a game changer not just for individuals, but for the entire nation.
If only more Papua New Guineans had access to and took full ownership of state lease land, the transformation would be massive.
What is State Lease Land?
State lease land is land owned by the government and made available to citizens and entities under long-term lease often 99 years for residential, commercial, or agricultural development.
Once leased, you are granted a title, which gives you legal rights to develop, mortgage, or sell the property.
Unlike customary land, state lease land can be easily used as collateral to secure loans from banks. This gives landowners the power to access capital, develop property, and participate actively in the economy.
The Power of Land Ownership
Imagine if every district in PNG had 100 young professionals, entrepreneurs, or families owning titles to state lease land:
They could build homes and eliminate overcrowding in settlements.
They could develop rental properties, creating jobs and income for others.
They could use the land to grow food or raise livestock, feeding communities and reducing dependence on imports.
They could secure bank financing to start businesses, create employment, and fuel economic growth.
Land ownership gives our people the chance to take control of their future, reduce dependency on government handouts, and build intergenerational wealth.
Why It Matters for National Development
If more Papua New Guineans especially the youth owned state lease land, our towns and cities would look different:
We’d have more planned residential suburbs, reducing informal settlements.
We’d have more SMEs operating from their own commercial land, not renting from foreigners.
We’d have more economic participation, where wealth is created and retained locally.
This is how national transformation happens not just through big government projects, but by empowering thousands of individual citizens to own and develop land.
The Barriers We Must OvercomeAccess to state lease land remains difficult for many due to complex processes, lack of awareness, and slow title issuance. But with strong leadership and better systems, these issues can be fixed to allow more Papua New Guineans to benefit.
In Conclusion
If more of our people owned and controlled state lease land, they would become job creators, developers, and wealth builders. Our nation would shift from land-rich but cash-poor to land-powered and people-driven. Making land more accessible is key to transforming Papua New Guinea.
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