Infrastructure

ABG Minister for Community Government, Theonila Matbob, said this in her maiden ministerial statement yesterday in the first session of the Bougainville House of Representatives.

She said the support is continuing under an Australian government funded program involving the construction of 19 community government offices and community halls. This will provide community governments and wards with functional spaces for elected women and men to exercise leadership and administrative duties, including other local activities.

This is being done to enable the sustainable growth of agribusiness activities in Cocoa, Vanilla, and Fisheries value chains and open up the vast rural economy for broader social and economic benefits.

Farmers are forced to carry bags of coffee and walk for days to reach the nearest road and with coffee being a perishable product, the beans rot within a few days, resulting in wasted effort and time.

Local MP, Solen Loifa, urged the provincial government to hear their plea and build roads and bridges to connect Menyamya to Lae.

“Kofi blo mipla stil sting yet lo maunten na bus stap,” said Loifa. (Our coffee is rotting on the mountain and in bushes.)

Sports Minister, Don Polye highlighted in Parliament this week, stating that the existing world standard sport facilities like the Sir John Guise Stadium, Santos Stadium (National Football Stadium), National Sports Institute (Goroka) and the Sir Hubert Murray Stadium, do position PNG as a sporting nation.

“I am grateful that we do have such asset and very careful as to PNG not losing them. Losing of these international facilities will result only as a result of negligence to do maintenance and renovations,” Minister Polye said.

The once pothole-ridden access road has finally been given a facelift, with commuters no longer having to navigate around crater-like potholes.

Work commenced in September through the 20 percent GST agreement between the Lae City Authority and Morobe Provincial Government.

It was successfully completed and opened on Wednesday, December 28^th, for the public to use and access the supermarkets and the nearby motel.

ABG Minister for Treasury and Finance, Mathias Salas, announced this in parliament this week when he tabled the 2023 ABG Budget speech.

“The major focus of the 2023 ABG Budget is the consolidation of the peace and political process through economic and infrastructure development to prepare and mobilise the people for the conduct of consultations and negotiations for Independence in Bougainville,” Salas said.

Yama made these remarks in Parliament during the grievances debate on Friday.

Governor Yama said millions of Kina are spent only in Port Moresby.

He said many roads built in the city are not economically viable and not many people are using them.

He added that the Government must at all times serve the interest of the people and not personal affiliations with contractors in the city. 

Yama pointed out a good example was the Taurama road which cost about K200 million, and the Gerehu-Nine-Mile backroad which cost more than K300 million.

O’Neill made this statement today when officially opening the Sir Reuben Taureka Highway along the Six-Mile to Bautama turn-off in the Central Province.

He said his government has been criticised for building infrastructure in the nation’s capital lately.

However, he said those criticisms are mere talk to get political gain.

“Criticisms are sometimes very healthy when its constructive criticism and not unnecessary criticisms.

“When you do such criticisms that is not constructive, you are simply making me stubborn.

These projects have resulted in better school infrastructure, health facilities, and the upgrading of key roads, creating better access to services for locals.

The Nokon, Kabil and Huris Communities in Namatanai District, as well as Madina Secondary School in Kavieng District, are recipients of the projects.

Madina Secondary School had renovation and construction work on 11 staff houses and an update on its power reticulation.

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill when giving his speech at the opening of the 14th Mining conference today in Sydney, Australia said the Government is not just developing the cities with improved infrastructure, but it is right across the country.

“For decades our ports, roads, and public buildings had not been maintained and had been left to ruin.
“We have restored assets where we could and built new infrastructure where it is was needed.
Now we are seeing greater productivity in Government, and greater opportunity for business and our people.