Agriculture Partnerships in Papua New Guinea

Founder and President of Australian Agribusiness Institute, Professor Bernard Malik, has established strong relationships with government leaders in Papua New Guinea, particularly the Prime Minister, Hon. James Marape. Over 80% of the Papua New Guinea population directly derive their livelihood from farming and over 50% of the population are under 23 years old. Australian Agribusiness Institute Research Centre is developing capacity-building education programs in areas such as global food security, agricultural information management, and agribusiness. In 2024, Australian Agribusiness Institute signed Memorandums of Understanding with the following government departments:

• Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, as well as the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, Port Moresby, National Capital District Papua New Guinea
• Department of Agriculture and Livestock, Port Moresby, National Capital District Papua New Guinea

If you have any queries, please contact: research@leaders.edu.au.

Professor Harvinder Singh and Hon James Marape

Professor Harvinder Singh has also been appointed as Special Agricultural Advisor to the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea.

Research and Industry Roundtable
In August 2025, Leaders Institute and Australian Agribusiness Institute Research Centre co-hosted a research and industry roundtable with a distinguished delegation from Papua New Guinea led by Hon. Kinoka Hotune Feo MP—Minister for Higher Education, Research, Science & Technology, and Sports in Papua New Guinea. He was accompanied by Mr Lonnie Baki—Acting Secretary for the Department of Higher Education, Research, and Science & Technology, Mr Chapman Namaro—First Secretary, Mr John Haro—Second Secretary, and Dr Ten Waninga—Vice Chancellor of University of Goroka. The Papua New Guinea delegation was warmly welcomed by Leaders Institute’s Vice President Global, Prof Harvinder Singh and Vice President Academic, Prof Denise Austin.

Prof Bernard Malik—President of Leaders Institute, notes:

This visit marks a new chapter of collaboration between Australia and Papua New Guinea in higher education, research, and industry development. Leaders Institute is shaping the future of global agribusiness.

He explained that Leaders Institute has students from almost 30 different nationalities, including students from Papua New Guinea. For a second consecutive year, the Institute was ranked an outstanding No. 1 in Australia for quality of undergraduate educational experience – Student Experience Survey and No. 2 in Australia for graduate outcomes – Graduate Outcomes Survey. Furthermore, Australian Agribusiness Institute Research Centre has an impressive portfolio of agribusiness and agricultural patents in Germany, the United States, Great Britain, and India.

Engagement with Global Academic Leaders
It was a privilege to hear from Prof Seyedali Mirjalili, who has been the No. 1 Artificial Intelligence researcher on Stanford University’s prestigious World’s Top Scientists list since 2023. He founded the Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research and Optimization, in 2019, and serves as a Professor of Artificial Intelligence at Torrens University, Australia. Prof Mirjalili discussed his recent work with the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the VSB-Technical University of Ostrava in the Czech Republic. The Refresh project is developing world-leading research and technology in sustainable energy, digitalisation of industrial production, automation in transport, environmental technologies, and smart material technologies.

As part of the roundtable, Dr Shabbir Ahmad—Senior Research at University of Queensland, A/Prof Anoma Ariyawardana—Agribusiness Program Director at Leaders Institute, and Dr Ten Waninga discussed Papua New Guinea’s challenges in productivity and sustainability in the agriculture sector. The dialogue included opportunities for joint research partnerships, faculty exchanges, and student engagement initiatives, further cementing Leaders Institute’s role as a hub for Australia-Pacific educational cooperation. Other distinguished guests included Prof Dip Sebastian—senior academic leader, Emeritus Prof Kevin Tickle—President of Global Leadership Institute, A/Prof Geoff Sheldon—Program Director at Global Leadership Institute, and Emeritus Prof Jenny Scott—external Chair of Academic Board at Leaders Institute.