Bougainville’s future must not be left to chance.
This was the sentiment shared by the Autonomous Region of Bougainville President, Ishmael Toroama, during last week’s opening of the annual ABG Leaders Symposium at the Hutjena Hall in Buka, North Bougainville.
This year’s leader’s symposium is themed ‘Implementing Independence Readiness’.
“Bougainville is on the cusp of taking control of its own politics and governance as an independent nation, no earlier than 2025 and no later than 2027. We must therefore make sure that our future is not left to chance and be deliberate in our intents,” Toroama said.
Speaking on the Bougainville Vision 2052, President Toroama challenged all leaders to reflect on what kind of society an independent Bougainville will look like and how the formulation of these plans will support their dream.
“This is the question that I had in mind when I stated, under the six-point strategy, a desire for ABG to get into the practice of long-term visioning and planning so that we can start laying the foundations of a future Bougainville society,” Toroama said.
Long term planning is a priority area under the Toroama-Nisira Government’s Six Point Strategy, and the Symposium will also see the introduction of the Government’s 30-year plan called the Bougainville Vision 2052, and the Bougainville Independence Strategic Development Plan (BISDP) 2023-2027, which will be the first Medium Term Development Plan (MTDP) of Bougainville Vision 2052.
The symposium provided the space for dialogue between leaders at the political and administrative levels on critical reflections of overall government performance, discuss challenges and share ideas on the development of Bougainville’s long-term plans.