Vodafone Fiji to sign Bemobile agreement today

The signing of the agreement for Vodafone Fiji to invest in Papua New Guinea’s Bemobile is expected to be done today.

Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama will meet PNG’s Prime Minister Peter O’Neill in Port Moresby today and the signing of the deal is expected to take place.

Details of this major deal were confirmed in March where O’Neill announced that his cabinet has granted Vodafone the right to begin operations in PNG.

Earlier, negotiations involved representatives of PNG’s state owned Independent Public Business Corporation, the Asian Development Bank, the PNG Super Funds, Fiji National Provident Fund and Vodafone Fiji.

It was also revealed that they agreed that IPBC would become the majority shareholder with 51% of the shares in Bemobile and FNPF would invest capital to take a 41% stake.

The National has also said that under the deal, Vodafone Fiji will manage the company under a management contract and the Vodafone brand will be launched in PNG and the Solomons.

In an interview with our sister station in PNG, PNGFM, Peter O’Neill said the PNG government will retain 51% of the shares in Bemobile.

Meanwhile, Commodore Bainimarama has arrived for the trade and investment seminar in Papua New Guinea.

The seminar that is being jointly organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Investment Fiji will include 80 private sector representatives which includes more than 40 companies from the private sector.


Story by: Filipe Naikaso