Minister Thomas Opa was first elected to the 11th PNG National Parliament in the 2022 General Elections from Kerema Open electorate seat as a Papua and Niugini Union (PANGU)
party candidate. He is the MP from Gulf Province where the next LNG Project in PNG (Papua LNG) is located. He holds Master of Business Administration from the Central Queensland
University, Australia. He is a qualified professional in banking, finance and superannuation. Prior to becoming MP, he worked in the PNG Banking and Finance industry for close to 20
years.
Minister Opa has quickly risen within the ranks of the government. He was first appointed as a Vice Minister for Petroleum and Energy and a Citizenship Matters Chair since August 2022
and appointed as a Minister for Energy on 9 July 2024.
As a Minister for Energy, he steps into a crucial leadership position, tasked with driving the energy sector forward in Papua New Guinea that will be pivotal to achieve the country’s
mission to achieve 70% of households to have access to electricity by 2030, and ultimately, 100% by 2050.
Minister Opa is also an advocate for better and fairer landowner and state equity and benefits in resource projects in Papua New Guinea.