Parents and citizens of Kokun in Ward Six of the Trans-Gogol Local Level Government (LLG) in the hinterlands of Madang district celebrated the opening of a new double classroom and a teacher’s house last Friday. The Ward Six community invited the Governor of Madang Province, Ramsey Pariwa, to officially open the new facilities, which were built at a cost of approximately K100,000. The funds came from monies the people contributed from their betelnut and cocoa sales. Governor Pariwa praised the efforts of the parents and citizens who joined hands in contributing funds to build the new double classroom and the teacher’s house. He also acknowledged the outgoing headmistress of the school, Ms. Hege Totap, a local woman from the Ward Six area who dedicated her time and effort to making sure the facilities were completed well before the commencement of the 2025 academic year. Pariwa took the opportunity to explain to over three thousand people who gathered that he does not agree with the timing of the new 1-6-6 reforms in the education system because schools still lack the infrastructure to accommodate the increased number of students. Furthermore, he said when student number increases, it would require more teachers in the schools, and they would need more teachers' houses. However, he said people have no choice but to go along with the new reforms, but they must take the initiative first, like the people of Kokun who built the school facilities using money from their cash crops. He said that is a huge achievement for them. In recognition of their efforts, Pariwa committed K50,000 to assist Kokun Primary School. He said the government alone cannot do everything, and such initiative taken by the community will greatly assist the government in providing basic services.

The Menyamya District Development Authority (MDDA) and the Rural Airstrip Agency (RAA) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) on Thursday, January 16, 2025, to establish a working relationship and provide airstrip services for the Menyamya Station Airstrip in Menyamya District, Morobe Province. This MoA will be in effect for 3 years from the commencement date. The agreement was signed by the Member (MP) for Menyamya, Solen Loifa, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Menyamya DDA Fidelis Harrisol and Rural Airstrip Agency CEO Mrs. Kim Opiti, and was witnessed by RAA GDL Officer, Mr. Richard Longgar. Along with the signing, the MDDA presented a cheque for K33,000.000 to fund the initial survey of the Menyamya Station Airstrip, which RAA will soon carry out. Loifa said this is an important partnership, and he is looking forward to its commencement because airstrips have always been the primary means of transportation for the people of Menyamya before roads connected Menyamya to the rest of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Unfortunately, most of these airstrips are now non-operational due to a lack of maintenance and the unavailability of technical expertise in airstrip services. “Menyamya is a rural place that is landlocked. Just recently, we just got connected by road, but before that, we depended entirely on airstrips, which was the main mode of transportation for us,” he said. “This is the first step we are taking to revive these closed airstrips for our rural people by at least starting with the one airstrip, which is where the district headquarters is located, and then from here, we can move on to other airstrips in the district." Loifa added that it is part of MDDA’s 5-year plan to rehabilitate the airstrips that are currently non-operational in the district. He said that in this plan, funding will be made available specifically for airstrip maintenance. So, partnering with RAA is the initial step the district has taken to revive its closed airstrips. This partnership will benefit the district by sourcing the technical expertise required to carry out the appropriate airstrip services for the selected rural airstrips in the district. RAA CEO Mrs. Opiti thanked Menyamya DDA for partnering with RAA to improve airstrip services in their district. “We thank you for taking the first step into this relationship by reaching out to us and we look forward to getting the first airstrip done so we can continue the same work with the rest of the other airstrips,” said Mrs. Opiti.

Two people have been killed and had their bodies burned. This while, several houses were razed to the ground following a clash between gang members and frustrated community members in Swaim village in West Coast Wewak, East Sepik over the weekend. East Sepik Provincial Police Commander Superintendent Christopher Tamari said the gang, led by their criminal ring leader is known to police as Masi Clinton Husek. According to PPC Tamari, Husek’s gang members of about 15 men attacked Herman Lobi killed two of his sons and threw their bodies into their burning house on Saturday morning. The reason for the attack was over a previous murder in October last year. One of Husek’s gang members killed a relative of Lobi, and they were frequenting Lobi’s residence and demanded that they settle it out of court. But Lobi, being the main complainant refused and opted to have the law deal with the suspect. Over this, they attacked Lobi and his family around dawn on Saturday morning, killing the two and burning down their house. Following this, the community and neighboring villages having been fed up of the gang members formed a resistance group and attacked the gang members and burned down some of their houses. PPC Tamari was on the ground this morning with Member for Wewak Stanley Samban to assess the situation. He said the community has grown tired of Masi and his gang members and formed a resistance group and fought back. There was a gunfight between Masi and the resistance group which resulted in two of his men Masi himself sustained bullet wounds and is now in hiding in the bush, while three members of the community resistance group also suffered minor injuries from the gunfight. They are now assisting police to hunt the suspects down and arrest them. “Because of Masi and his team, the community rose up, they all mobilized. All the neighbouring villages from Lowom, Sowom, But, Balam, and Tauk, everybody rose up and formed a resistance group." "They called me, their leader called me, and I said, go ahead. So, they formed a resistance group, and they assisted the police in a manhunt. That's exactly what we were doing now.” Tamari said the gang came out to continue their attacks but were met with resistance, police were late to respond due to the ongoing fuel shortage in the province. He said Masi and two of his men had been badly wounded and like wouldn’t survive for long out in the bushes. “The frustration, all the communities have gathered together and are throwing their support to eliminate all the bad apples, let me put it this way. So, as we speak, the police have been assisted greatly by the local communities, and I have given them the green light to help wherever they can and that's basically for now." "The member and I are here on the ground along the West Coast Highway and I'm positive that anytime from now, they should be apprehended, dead or alive.” [caption id="attachment_60999" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Photo by PPC Tamari[/caption] PPC Tamari said Husek is one of 87 prisoners released after they filed a Human Rights application. They were released by Justice David Cannings in November last year due to overcrowding health concerns. He said among those released were hardcore criminals known for murder, rape and other violent crimes. “Because of the overcrowding, health conditions, and the condition of the whole facility, they did an HR application and they were released,” said PPC Tamari. He added that one of the reasons why the prison was full was because he ensured lawbreakers faced the full force of the law. “When I took command in early 2023, I enforced the rule of law. No compensation, no blood money, if you're wrong, you go to Boram, so we were getting good convictions. But the number (prisoners) was increasing, and because of the number of suspects that were entering Boram, the commander was requesting that I slow down but I said no, I'm here to do a job.” He added Masi surrendered to him and Member Stanley Samban last year and pledged that he would stop doing criminal activities but instead, he led his men to kill the two victims over the weekend. The travelling public along the West Coast highway has been made aware, the situation has calmed down and police are on site to hunt the suspects and bring them in. PPC Tamari thanked his men for responding to the call and also the community for forming the resistance and helping police hunt down Masi and his gang members.

Three young women from East Sepik will be the first from the province to work as Aged-Care Workers in Sydney, Australia, under the Labor Mobility Program. This was announced by East Sepik Governor Allan Bird, who has been very supportive of the program. Bird said he was very proud and personally farewelled the trio before they traveled down south for work under a 4-year contract. “After stringent testing by the Labor Mobility Unit (LMU) at Treasury and successful interviews by the employers, our 3 women were selected and are part of a group of 4 women who will fly tomorrow (Today),” said Governor Bird. Bird said Aged Care Workers are highly sought after in developed countries, and Australia is no exception. “I am particularly proud because one graduated from our nursing school at Boram and the other graduated from our Kaindi DWU nursing program. The third is a primary school teacher. I have been pushing for our nursing programs in Sepik to be geared towards aged care.” “I look forward to many more of our young women taking up these highly competitive opportunities overseas,” he said. Bird thanked the LMU, the Sepik Labor Mobility team, the Australian employers, and the government of Australia for providing such opportunities to Papua New Guineans.

The second batch of City Wardens have completed training and are now ready to be deployed to their assigned suburb in Port Moresby city. A total of 160 youths, 6 of which are females underwent a 3-day warden training carried out by Zero Alpha Security Solutions (ZASS), a locally owned security firm specialized in security training. Camilla Jimmy is one of the first female youth to join the City Warden Initiative, she said that she was inspired to join the wardens because of the positive turnout of the program. “I joined this program because it has helped in improving the safety of women and mothers even some men who are vulnerable to being attacked by petty criminals,” said Miss Jimmy. She said the training helped her gain not only tactical and communication skills but also helped change her mindset. She commended NCD Governor Powes Parkop for this initiative and also thanked her trainers from ZASS. “We learnt a lot, from crowd control to apprehending suspects and self-defence among others has really helped shape our attitude as many of us are from different backgrounds. “Many of us come from the settlements and have been involved in illegal activities, some of us went as far as Grade 10 and 12 while some have not completed school at all, but through our trainers, we have gained a lot, such as how to behave in and communicate with the public when carrying out our duties.” Another youth, Eddy Alembo, is a high school dropout from Hela province and goes by the nickname K8 (Eight Kina) said he lived in Badili for almost 20 years and has been involved in many illegal activities but decided to change and take different path when he found out about the City Wardens Initiative. “I have never had any formal employment experience, but I heard there is an opportunity if I joined the warden's initiative and work with the police, this may be a good reference for me when I want to go back to school,” he said. Alembo said as a father of a 5-year-old boy, he has chosen to take this path and advocated to his fellow youths in Moresby South District to embrace the opportunity provided by NCDC while help improving law and order in the city. He also added that the training has transformed his mindset. “My mindset has changed; I can now take this experience to my community and advocate for change and look after our own community”, he said. “I don’t know about the others but for me; to be trained by people with military experience has greatly influenced me and I believe I have gained a lot in the three days.” [caption id="attachment_60915" align="aligncenter" width="552"] Picture Credit: Edson Kuso - Camilla Jimmy & Eddy Alembo.[/caption] ZASS Managing Director Lieutenant Murray Oa said they designed and carried out the training in a way that is easily understandable by all regardless of their background. “We designed our training in an interactive way. They talk, we talk and it's more of a group discussion and sharing ideas and all that, they're just moving around and going from group to group, team to team. People came out of their shells, and they were asking questions. Probably some stupid questions but this means that everyone's thinking,” said Lt. Oa. He said from his observation, there's been the behavior of the trainees. “What I've been looking at was the improvement in terms of their personality. From day one when we met them, they were not at the standard and now they are there. Now it's more like they're cautious about how they look and how they walk. Before they walked aimlessly, now they have purpose, and they also look a lot smarter. Their dress and grooming, they're cleanly shaved now, tucked in, wearing shoes and wearing long trousers,” he said. “I feel that there's been a change." [caption id="attachment_60901" align="aligncenter" width="797"] Picture Credit: Edson Kuso. Camilla Jimmy and Eddy Almebo with their trainers.[/caption] Lt. Oa said he is confident that the trainees are now ready to go out and serve as City Wardens. “With the experience from the instructors in making sure that they grasp the concept, I think that has been achieved successfully. From their dressing to their grooming, it's just been a success. I’m sure that we'll confidently go out to the field now. I'm pretty sure that whatever work they’ll be doing, they will probably do more because they're on some kind of high morale now. But I feel confident that they will be a bonus and they'll be an asset to this City Warden programme.” He further called on the public to support the city wardens and help improve law and order in the city. “Everyone, regardless of what walk of life, everyone is responsible. Everyone is responsible for public safety. So now with us training the City Wardens, we have an extra advantage." The police ratio to the citizens is inadequate, so with us training the wardens, that's the extra arm now for the law-and-order sector. "My message to the public is let's support this. Let's not go on social media and criticize them or the organizers. Let's get behind this program and let's change Port Moresby. And if we can change Port Moresby, that will eventually lead to changing PNG. So, we can take back PNG in such small ways. It's about the small ways."

A total of 72 villagers attended a 4-day training and graduated with a certificate in Strategic Planning on the 11th of January 2025, in the Mambe-Manuara area in Turubu Local Level Government (LLG) in Wewak, East Sepik Province. The initiative was spearheaded by Peter Chanel Usouri, a final-year law student from the University of Papua New Guinea. Usouri saw that his community had everything to progress in terms of development, but it lacked planning skills. Hence, he attended a Strategic Planning Workshop for trainers in Port Moresby and went back to his village in Manuara and conduct the training. He was assisted by three other students from Divine Word University (DWU). Clive Naro, a final-year Tourism and Hospitality Management student; Michellyn Molok, a final-year Rehabilitation Science; and Troy Mabos, the Sustainable Livelihood Officer Project Sepik Inc. and also, a final-year Environmental Health student from DWU. Usouri said when he approached elders in his area about the issue he identified, they did not hesitate to support him. “They quickly organized, and everyone contributed towards the workshop," said Usouri. He said all the resources needed to run the training, including a printer, stationery, generator, fuel, and food, were all funded by the community. Usouri said this is a reflection of a well-structured community that holds the true spirit of unity and a desire to progress. “The community has a lot of resources and has worked sustainably over the years to generate income, but they lack the skills to plan their work. This training is a big bonus and a boost to those 72 participants who have attended the training,” he said. Ward 18 councilor of Manuara, Enerst Jinimeri, thanked the students for their initiative. “I have the Kanda accord 1, which is the ward development plan, but I don’t know how to achieve this plan. This training has helped me, and now I can do a strategic plan for my ward with the help of the 72 participants. Also, I ticked one of the boxes in the Kanda Accord 1 after the training. This is something I could not believe and something we have been lacking for years,” he said. The soon-to-graduate students had quite an experience while staying in Mambe-Manuara and delivering the training. What struck Troy Mabos most, besides the warm hospitality, was that they left their training equipment carefree when going around the community without being concerned about theft by the locals. “Manuara community can be a model community for Wewak district and East Sepik province for their kind hospitality,” said Mr. Mabos. He encouraged the community to maintain such kindness and hospitality if they wish to progress and see positive changes in their community in the future. The initiative from the students and the cooperation of the community inspired the Deputy Governor of East Sepik and the Turubu LLG president, David Kausik. He said this is a first of its kind in his LLG; hence, he pledged K10,000 to support such programs in the future. “The training is just in time, as they have the LLG meeting in a few weeks' time. This will be very helpful in their meeting to plan for the LLG development,” said Mr. Kausik. The training and the graduation ceremony have prompted interest from neighbouring communities, who have now requested to have the training held in their respective areas.

Kimbe Port in West New Britain (WNB) Province is set to be upgraded into a state-of-the-art port facility following a signing today between PNG Ports Corporation Limited (PPCL) and project developer Pacific Marine Group (PMG). The Australian Government will fund the project through the PNG-Australia Partnership with K 207 million. The funding is part of a K1.5 billion blended financial package provided to PNG Ports by the Australian Government through the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP) in 2022. The signing was witnessed by the Australian High Commissioner to PNG, His Excellency John Feakes, and Minister for State-Owned Enterprise, Willam Duma. Other key dignitaries present were PPCL CEO Neil Papenfus, PPCL Chairman Harvey Nii, Kumul Consolidated Holdings (KCH) Chairman Moses Maladina, PMG Managing Director Terry Dodd, KCH Managing Director Prof. David Kavanamur, and WNB Provincial Administrator Leo Mapmani on behalf of WNB Governor Sasindran Muthuvel. H.E Feakes said this project is a testament to the strong relationship between PNG and Australia and their commitment to giving opportunities to Papua New Guineans. “As projects commence, more regions will share in the economic benefits of improved maritime connectivity and access to employment and skills development. In total, the Kimbe project is expected to create up to 300 local jobs through the construction phase. The project is structured to maximize opportunities for local workers and suppliers. Marine works at Kimbe will be delivered with a workforce made up of 70% locals, with over 30% of the project spending to be through Papua New Guinea companies. Landside works were tendered only to Papua New Guinea firms, with the contract to be awarded over the coming weeks,” said Ambassador Feakes. Minister Duma said West New Britain has a huge potential for agriculture; thus, the upgrading of the Kimbe Port is a strategic step in opening doors for the province. “West New Britain, compared to many other provinces, is indeed a sleeping giant. We've identified Kimbe as a centre with potential, and we hope to emulate that in the other provinces. Opportunities are available there in agriculture, especially fisheries, timber, oil palm, all those development opportunities, even tourism,” said Duma. PPCL CEO Mr. Papenfus said Kimbe Port is one of the most important ports of the total of 15 in the country. “Kimbe Port is our third largest port and a priority in our 30-Year Port Infrastructure Master Plan. Located in PNG’s largest producer and exporter of crude palm oil, the port is critical to our economy. This project will bring key benefits, including local job creation and economic engagement. Our ports must remain fit for purpose, capable of meeting future business demands and resilient to climate challenges. This project is an important step in reaching those goals,” said Papenfus. Kimbe is the first of four other ports that will be upgraded through the AIFFP funding. Work on the port is expected to start in the first quarter of 2025 and will take 16 months to complete. PMG CEO Mr. Dodd said it was going to be a very big task since the Kimbe port is very busy, but he is confident that they will get the job done because of their experience in carrying out such projects.

Madang Province is hosting its first-ever Madang provincial economic sector forum under the theme 'Strategic Revenue Generation for Madang Province’. The three-day economic forum started on Monday, January 13th, and will end today at the Madang Resort Hotel. The forum witnessed major business houses and manufacturing firms in the province, including RD Tuna Fishing, Globe Manufacturing, and Ramu NiCo Management (MCC) Limited, in attendance and made presentations on their business operations and how they contribute to the economy of Madang province. The forum also hosted major state-owned enterprises, including PNG Power Limited, Water PNG, Ports PNG, and the Internal Revenue Commission. Commodity boards including Coffee Industry Corporation, Livestock Industry Corporation, Kokonas Industri Corporation, and Cocoa Board of PNG also gave an overview of their organization during the forum. The objective of the three-day economic forum is to ensure the Madang provincial government takes stock of all revenue heads in the province and how much they are contributing to the economy of the province. Governor for Madang province, Ramsey Pariwa, in welcoming and acknowledging the business houses, explained that the Madang Provincial Government is looking at partnering with the business communities and relevant stakeholders plus the National Government’s state-owned enterprises to come together and discuss plans and work together in order to stimulate economic growth and sustenance in Madang province. Furthermore, Governor Pariwa stated that after the three-day forum, he wants to have a fair idea of how many revenue heads are in the province and how much they are contributing to the provincial government coffers. The Madang Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) applauded the initiative by the Madang Governor for initiating the Inaugural Economic Forum. MCCI Vice President Kris Seeto applauded the initiative taken by Governor Pariwa, stating that it is an important event because it brings together stakeholders, participants, and contributors of the economy of Madang Province together for the first time.

The positive feedback from Port Moresby City residents on the City Wardens Initiative has prompted the National Capital District Commission (NCDC) to increase the number of city wardens and have them operate all across the city. A total of 150 youths has been recruited at the start the week and are undergoing a 3-day basic training before being certified as city wardens. Of the total, 4 of them are females. The training is being conducted by Zero Alpha Security Solutions (ZASS), a locally owned company that specializes in security training. The youths will undergo basic training such as understanding their roles as wardens, code of conduct, dress code, health and hygiene, dealing with lost & found items, restraining & searching techniques, dealing with mentally incapacitated persons and children, communication skills, conflict resolution, observation and reporting techniques and basic legal knowledge and compliance. ZASS Managing Director, Murray Oa, said these skills are necessary because most of these youths have not completed formal education, and so they need to be properly trained so they can assist the public and at the same time perform their duties within their jurisdiction. “The trainings are designed in a way that is easily understood. It’s more of an interactive session where we talk, they talk, and we discuss to find solutions," said Oa. The basic training will go on for 3-4 days, then they will be put to work for some time and come back for advanced training in things like first aid and firefighting and also have officers from the Road Transport Authority and the police have sessions with them on road safety regulations since they will be working with all these authorities in keeping the city safe. Oa himself has over 15 years of military experience and is being assisted by fellow defence force officers who are on holiday to conduct the training with the city wardens. He said another 150 youths are expected to undergo similar training next week.

Newly appointed Simbu Provincial Police Commander Superintendent Mazuc Rubiang and his police officers conducted a law-and-order awareness drive in Kundiawa township last Friday. He said the initiative aims to engage communities and promote compliance with the law. While conducting the awareness, PPC Rubiang delivered a clear message to the public, emphasizing the importance of maintaining law and order and adhering to legal regulations. He also highlighted that police bail amounts for liquor-related offences have recently increased to K2,000.00, while bail amounts for illegal roadblocks now stand at K5,000.00. The awareness drive encouraged community members to act responsively and understand the consequences of breaking the law. PPC Rubiang said his commitment is to foster a safer and law-abiding environment for everyone in the community to work and live peacefully. He also urged the public to cooperate with law enforcement officers to ensure the well-being of the community.

East Sepik Governor gave a brief report of the East Sepik Provincial Government Tertiary Education Subsidy for 2024 and announced the opening date for online applications this year. Governor Bird announced on his social media page, a total of 1,297 students from various DHERST approved institutions qualified through the online process last year. “Each student enjoyed a subsidy of K3,500 for a total cost of K4.54m. Our budget was K6.0m for this program.” Of the total allocated funds, K66,000 was used for programme management. Divine Word University’s Kaindi Teacher’s College in Wewak was paid K445,500 for outstanding subsidies owed to students from 2023, and this will be done also for other institutions who missed out on last year’s subsidy, and any remaining funds from this year will go back as savings according to Governor Bird. The online application system was introduced last year, and new students not yet registered on the system will be given the opportunity to register when applications open. Students who are continuing can indicate that on the system and their records will be updated for subsidy support. “The application period will remain open for up to 10 weeks, after which applications will be closed to allow for payment to be finalized and processed.” He added that a decision will be taken to either pay out all funds equally to all the qualifying students or expand the scope for other students to benefit. Bird also advised parents and students that this scholarship is a privilege, and they must not place too many expectations on it. “Remember, this is a privilege and not an entitlement." "It is intended to assist parents by giving back some of the taxes we collect in the province to share the burden of education costs,” he said. Bird said they will also provide tablets in his office for students who need help registering. “We are building this system for the future to ensure full transparency and equal opportunity for all." The target date set for the opening of the online applications is the 20th of January 2025.

The 9th Annual Public Service Dedication Service held today at the Sir John Guise Stadium Indoor Complex holds a significant place in the nation’s history for more than one reason. On this day, exactly a year ago, chaos reigned in the city of Port Moresby and later spread to other parts of the country. Shops were looted and and burned; people lost their lives in the event, while Prime Minister James Marape was briefly placed under arrest by rogue cops in office. Reflecting on the terror that January 10th 2024, or Black Wednesday, as it is called, brought on the City of Port Moresby and the country, and as the nation is at the eve of its 50th year of sovereignty, it is symbolic that today, 10th January 2025 was chosen to hold this year’s dedication service for public servants. Today, as the nation rises from the ashes of Black Wednesday and heads towards our 50th Independence Anniversary, Prime Minister James Marape declared this year the year of restoration, in line with this year’s dedication service theme, ‘Year of Restoration in the Public Service'. “The key word is restoration. Restoration after 49 years of nationhood, restoration after the 49 years of nationhood, seven series of wet years that culminate in the 50th year, when a nation has passed from last year to 2016, we celebrate 49 years of wet. We now begin our 50th year, it is the year of reset and restoration." He implored the thousands of public servants across the country to examine themselves and ask themselves what their purpose is as public servants. “It is time for all of us to find our purpose in the innermost section of the heart and mind, that what is it that you must do to restore Papua New Guinea to the fullest. What is it that you and me must do?" [caption id="attachment_60570" align="aligncenter" width="843"] Picture by Edson Kuso[/caption] Laws are many, plans are many, intentions are there, but it really rests with us, in the motivation of our heart, must compel us to move that one extra mile, lift that one extra weight, push that extra strength to ensure we deliver PNG, the prosperity as citizens deserve,” he said. Minister for Public Service Joe Sungi also reflected on what insurrected the Black Wednesday riots and affirmed to public servants nationwide that the government will always ensure all public servants are paid. Still, it is up to them to honour their duties. “The government will always pay us, no matter what. The question is that we be, faithful, and devoted, to our duties.” Said Sungi. Chief Secretary to the Government Ivan Pomaleu also encouraged public servants to rise above this setback and move forward with a renewed sense of commitment as the country approaches 50 years of independence. “As we embark on the field ahead, let us make our commitment to serving the people of Papua New Guinea again with integrity, transparency, and unwavering dedication, focusing on building a prosperous, inclusive, and resilient nation for the next 50 years and more. I encourage you to actively engage in today's events, reflecting on our role in the public service world, embracing forgiveness and seeking restoration for personal and professional growth. May this occasion inspire and guide us towards renewing the public service and fulfilling our shared mission with purpose and dedication.” Said Chief Secretary Pomaleu.