The National Government has made a commitment to release the balance of the K15 million for the Manam Restoration Authority following the release of the initial K5 million.
Minister for National Planning, Richard Maru, said the Government will ensure that over the next two months, the remaining balance of K15 million will be made available to the Manam Restoration Authority.
The Minister made this known this week during a meeting with members of the Manam Restoration Authority, including the Minister for Inter Government Relations, Pila Niningi, and Secretary for the Department of Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs (DPLGA), Dickson Guina, Member for Bogia, Robert Naguri and Manam Restoration Authority Chairman Ken Fairweather, among others.
K20 million was allocated in the 2019 National Budget for the resettlement of the Manam people at the care centres and the first K5 million was released last month to DPLGA. DPLGA will now make this K5 million available to the Manam Restoration Authority.
It was agreed that K7.5 million will be made available next month and the final K7.5 million the following month. The Government now requires the Restoration Authority to submit the overall master plan for the development, fully costed and brought to Government as soon as possible so that the Government can look at some funding from the national budget and development partners next year.
Minister Maru also emphasised that the management of the funds will be overseen by the Manam Restoration Authority Board.
(Minister for National Planning Richard Maru, centre, and members of the Manan Restoration Authority including Member for Bogia, Robert Naguri, left, Minister for Inter Government Relations, Pila Niningi and Chairman for the Manan Restoration Authority, Ken Fairweather)