BOUGAINVILLE HOSTS INAUGURAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION CONFERENCE

Secretary for the Department of National Planning and Monitoring, Koney Samuel said Development Cooperation is key for the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.

He was speaking at the opening of the two-day Bougainville Development Cooperation Conference yesterday in Port Moresby city, where key stakeholders were brought together to strengthen partnerships for sustainable development in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB).

Secretary Samuel commended the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) and President Ishmael Toroama for initiating the historic event and emphasized the importance of impactful and coordinated development cooperation that aligns with national priorities under PNG’s Medium Term Development Plan 2023-2027 (MTDP IV).

“This conference provides a valuable platform to deepen our understanding of Bougainville’s long-term development aspirations, including Vision 2052, the Bougainville Integrated Strategic Development Plan (BISDP) 2023-2027, and its sectoral priorities. We note that the BISDP is in alignment with the Government of PNG’s Medium Term Development Plan IV 2023-2027 and we thank the ABG Team for working closely with my department to ensure that we are working coherently, through our development plans, to achieve the goals of MTDP IV,” Secretary Samuel said.

Kenneth Nanei, Chief Secretary from the Autonomous Bougainville Government said a key reason for hosting this conference is to have better dialogue with development partners, forging of stronger partnerships and strategic coordination of development support for AROB.

Peter Tsiamalili Jr, Minister for Police and Regional Member for Bougainville, stated that the Bougainville Integrated Strategic Development Plan (BISDP) 2023–2027 is the first integrated strategic plan that aligns both the National Government’s and the Autonomous Bougainville Government’s development priorities, providing a unified and strategic approach to Bougainville’s future development.

The conference continues today in Port Moresby city under the theme: “Enhanced collaboration between the Autonomous Bougainville and development partners for effective development cooperation.”