The East New Britain (ENB) handed down its annual budget recently, with the Law & Justice Sector receiving a significant increase and cut from this year’s total budget of K519 816 218 million. This allocation amounts to K12 million and is the second largest allocation, owing to the East New Britain Provincial Government (ENBPG) commitment to addressing the escalating law and order problems being experienced all over the province in the past couple of years. The ENBP Governor & Chairman of Finance Michael Maru made this announcement during his budget speech at the 2024 Provincial Budget during a special budget session held at the Malapau Beach Resort in Kokopo. The increased allocation to the Law & Justice Sector in the Province will ensure key areas like Special Security Operations and a Community Policing program are improved. The Connect ENB Program gets the biggest slice of the pie, with a funding allocation of K23 million, to go towards fixing provincial, district and LLG roads in the province, in a means to provide access to markets for the local rural populace. This year’s budget comprises of K274, 440, 856 million from the Provincial Headquarter, K206, 841, 362 from the 4 District Development Authorities (DDAs) with K38, 543, 200 for the 23 LLGs. Fifty – three (53%) percent of funding goes to the development component of the budget while the balance is for recurrent expenditure. Governor Marum said that the substantial increase in the 2024 LLG budget signifies the province’s focus on LLGs as institutional focal points for an effective service delivery model. “This model is aligned with the service delivery partnership agreement and profiling autonomy at the lower community level,” he said. He said that the LLG Budget totalling over K38 million, focuses on initiatives that support local capacity and governance, such as establishing Ward Offices, Ward Support Grants, the conduct of the 2024 LLG Elections, payment of Ward Recorders’ Allowances, a Ward Accounting Package, and the implementation of the Ward Quarterly Reporting System. “There are several Strategic Result Areas (SRA) in this budget which are aimed at addressing the pressing needs of our people, whilst setting the stage for critical investments that are needed for tomorrow." The prolonged construction of the Provincial Civic Centre (Provincial Headquarter) has been allocated K1,2 million, the province’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Action Plan got K1 million, while the Connect ENB Program gets the biggest allocation of K23m. Under the economic sector, K1 million has been allocated to Tourism Development, the Agriculture Sector was given K1.2m while a Downstream Processing program for the sector was allocated K1.5m. Social Services was given K1.5m with K3.6m for Sports and Recreation programs, while Law and Order got the second biggest allocation of K12m. The Education Sector received an allocation of K2.5m, the Health Sector was given K1.8m, as Land Mobilization got K2m this year. The 2024 ENB Provincial Budget is being implemented under the theme ‘Fostering Sustainable Livelihoods at the Wards through Partnerships for Economic Growth and Development.’ “This budget theme strikes a delicate balance between immediate needs and future investments. It is a blueprint for building a strong foundation for future generations,” the Governor said.