PNG Haus Bung

The Papua New Guinea National Research Institute (PNG NRI) was honored to have the new Minster for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology and Sports, visit the campus on Friday last week. Wesley Raminai joined the PNG NRI Council Acting Chairman, Mr. Wilson Thompson and members of the PNG NRI Council during its first meeting of the year, where he was briefed on the Institute’s roles, responsibilities, functions and key activities. While congratulating Mr Raminai on his recent appointment, Mr. Thompson briefed him on the PNG Knowledge Hub Precinct development and on how the PNG NRI is positioning itself in supporting the Marape-Basil Government going forward. “The Institute’s research is organised under eight Research Programs, conducting research aimed at addressing the key economic and social issues facing PNG, as envisioned in the PNG Vision 2050; Development Strategic Plan (DSP), 20102030; the Medium-Term Development Plans (MTDPs); and other relevant and topical development issues,” Mr. Thompson said. He said in addition to providing advice on better public policy outcomes and improved service delivery, the PNG NRI research team is also engaged in policy development and analysis in collaboration with key government agencies. For example, the recently held National Land Summit in 2019 with Department of Lands and Physical Planning; Department of National Planning and Monitoring; and Department of Treasury. A key contribution of the PNG NRI to public policy analysis has beenthe offering of the popular annual Economic Policy Analysis Course (EPAC) since 1989. Mr. Thompson assured the Minister that the Institute remains focused and would ensure its work addresses PNG’s long-term development challenges. He said the focus for the next three years is captured in the Institute’s new 2021-2023 Corporate Plan, which is intended to synchronise with the Government’s planning period; that is completion of the current MTDP in 2022 and commencement of the new MTDP in 2023. A new Coporate Plan will be developed to synchronise with the new MTDP going forward. “The Council sees the importance of the Institute in aligning its plan with the term of each successive government. In this manner, we become more responsive to the priorities of the government of the day and to align our research accordingly and provide solutions to problems as they arise,” he said. Mr. Raminai assured the Council that he would support the work of the Institute during his term. He took on board the challenges faced by the Institute in terms of staffing and budget cuts. He said that the country is going through tough times in terms of the resources and because of Covid-19 and other problems faced in the country. The Minister also raised concerns about population growth, which is about 3% per annum, and the negative implications on the country if opportunities are not provided for the youth to be meaningfully engaged in the economy. In particular, there is a big question on the quality of education of students going to higher education and eventually the workforce. There is a needto ensure high quality education outcomes for both social and economic development. With regards to the role of his Ministry, the Minister stated that the Ministry he leads is a big Ministry and he will try his utmost best to lead the coordination of the Institutions under his ministry for better outcomes.“The Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science, Technology and Sports is a big ministry. There is so much to do and my office will try its best to work with the universities, with PNG NRI and the research institutions and all other agencies within the HERSTS Ministry.” He urged the PNG NRI Council to provide leadership for the Institute to conduct research into areas like tribal fights, challenges in the education sector, corruption, and the PNG political system. “There are so many issues to research. We have other research institutions in the country and I have to see how we can all come together and work on a way forward,” Mr Raminai said. The Institutions will need to work together to focus on research that will address the main issues facing the country and with the outcomes of research being used for informed decision making to improve the welfare of people. Caption: PNG NRI Council Acting Chairman Mr. Wilson Thompson briefing Minster for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology and Sports Hon. Wesley Raminai on the Institute’s roles, responsibilities, functions and key activities.

After a season disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, this year looks promising for our Barramundis, Lewas and Garamuts. As players, administrators and fans settle back into their respective programs, Cricket PNG cannot help but consider the possibilities that will come in 2021. This year promises to provide plenty of opportunities for the growth and development of cricket in the nation, bookended by their first appearance at an ICC World Cup, the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India.Even though the previous year had its hurdles, notably the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 provided a solid platform to launch PNG cricket into the next decade! Cricket World Cup League Two, Women’s World Cup Qualifying tournaments, and the 2020 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup may have been postponed, but everyone involved at Cricket PNG from administrators, staff, players, and volunteers have a tremendous amount to be proud of including: BSP School Kriket Program In July 2020, at the height of the COVID pandemic and with domestic sport suspended, there was some good news for Cricket PNG. The BSP School Kriket Program was awarded the Gray-Nicholls Participation Programme of the Year, its second, the first coming in 2010.Barramundis Damien Ravu, Nosaina Pokana and Lega Siaka, and Lewas Kaia Arua, Brenda Tau and Vicky Ara'a all started their cricket journey with the BSP Program. The BSP School Kriket Program aims to introduce school children to the game of cricket, with a focus on Preschool to Year 8. Beginning in 2010 in Port Moresby, NCD, the program has grown into 11 more provinces throughout the Highlands, New Guinea Islands, Momase and Southern Regions of Papua New Guinea.The program will continue in 2021, adhering to government mandated health and safety protocols. Success of the inaugural Men and Women’s National Cup National Head Coach Joe Dawes said, “We attempted something different in 2020 with the introduction of 50-over and 40-over cricket for the Men and Women’s (respectively) national development programs. With one eye firmly placed on the the qualification pathways to the Men’s 2023 ODI World Cup and Women’s 2022 ODI World Cup tournaments, the introduction of the Isuzu National Cup was a chance for the men and women to test both their physical skill set and mental apptitude leading up to their respective tournaments. We are proud to say both tournaments were a success that we can use to build on for 2021. So, what does 2021 have in-store for Cricket PNG, the Barramundis, Lewas and Garamuts? BARRAMUNDIS (MEN) The clear standout for 2021, is the Barramundis participation in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India. Our ‘Barras’ have waited an extra 12 months but the excitement levels are still sky-high for their debut at an ICC World Cup.Even though playing the World Cup in Australia would be just as grand, a historic debut in India, where cricket is considered a religion, can only raise pulses even higher. This does not consider the different conditions than what Head Coach Joe Dawes and the Barramundis had prepared for in Australia. The build-up to the October tournament is just as important and exciting for cricket fans in Papua New Guinea. There are two Cricket World Cup (CWC) League Two tri-series scheduled to be played in Papua New Guinea against Scotland & Oman then Namibia and the USA in 2021. These ODI fixtures will play a vital role in preparing for the T20 World Cup, giving players time and opportunity to hone their skills with both bat and ball, and prepare to deal with the playing under pressure against high quality opposition. Head Coach Joe Dawes said, “There is an array of experience in our opposition for these CWC fixtures, including ICC Associate Player of the Decade, Scotland’s Kyle Coetzer and the USA’s Ali Khan who has played in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Pakistan Super League (PSL) and Indian Premier League (IPL). Most importantly, our CWC matches against Oman will be a dress rehearsal for our first match of the T20 World Cup. If we can clean sweep Oman during the series, it will give us an edge for that match on the 18 October. We know that winning early fixtures can really set us up for the tournament, so any advantage we can get over our opposition lifts our chances of going through to the next stage.”There is plenty of cricket for the Barramundis with the Men’s 50-over Isuzu National Cup and Men’s T20 Smash tournaments. The second edition of the Isuzu National Cup will serve as proving ground for current squad members keep practicing and honing their skills and provide an opportunity for players outside the squad to stake a claim for a spot in the T20 World Cup squad, and the squad looking ahead to the qualifying pathway for the 2023 ODI World Cup, also set for India. Head Coach Joe Dawes said, “The more 50 over games we can play, the better the Barramundis will get at the T20 format of the game. Practicing in the nets can never really replicate match scenarios, so with our international fixtures spread out throughout the year, it becomes more important for the Barramundis to play more longer form cricket. Come August, we will play the T20 Smash tournament, as we ramp up our preparations for the T20 World Cup in October. The Barramundis and High-Performance staff will have learnt plenty from the CWC and National Cup fixtures, and this will be one of our final opportunities to finalise preparations for the World Cup squad.” Lewas (Women) There is plenty to look forward to in 2021 for our National Women’s team, they went so close to qualifying for their inaugural World Cup in Australia in March last year, this will drive their motivation to go one step further in 2021. National Coach & High-Performance manager Joe Dawes believes an injection of youth and working on the Lewas strength and conditioning for the 50-over format in the lead-up to the ICC Women’s ICC World Cup Qualifier will bring success.” We are committed to achieving World Cup qualification for the Lewas. After narrowly missing out on qualification for the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia, we reviewed our programs and have put in processes which we believe will take us to the next level. Our players and coaches are focused on realising that dream of qualification for the One Day World Cup”. To that end, the Lewas Women’s World Cup Qualifier will be played in Sri Lanka, mid-year, against Bangladesh, Ireland, Pakistan, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Zimbabwe, USA and the Netherlands with the top three teams then progressing to the World Cup in New Zealand. Last year, the ICC and Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) announced that women’s T20 cricket will make a historic appearance at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, scheduled from 28 July to 8 August. Cricket PNG CEO, Greg Campbell said, “Cricket PNG looks forward to working with the Papua New Guinea National Olympic Committee once the ICC announces the format and details for the Commonwealth Games qualifiers. A number of athletes from boxing, swimming, and weightlifting have proudly represented PNG at the Commonwealth Games, and we hope we can do the country proud as well, by qualifying for the Games. This will help put cricket on the national radar and we hope encourages young girls in the country to pick up a bat and ball and begin their journey to becoming a Lewa.” Before the year is out, there is an East Asia Pacific (EAP) regional qualifier for the 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup scheduled between 3 – 8 September in Samoa. This tournament is set to be played between Cook Islands, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Samoa and Vanuatu. Garamuts (Under 19s Men) The fourteenth edition of the ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup is set to be staged in the West Indies in 2022. Eleven teams, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, West Indies, and Zimbabwe have qualified after their top 11 finish in the 2020 edition of the World Cup As announced by the ICC, 34 teams are set to compete in five regional qualifiers, Asia, Americas, East Asia Pacific (EAP), Africa and Europe to book at ticket to the Caribbean. The Garamuts, in the EAP qualifier, will compete against Indonesia, Vanuatu and hosts Japan between 28th of September and 4th of October. Head Coach Joe Dawes said, “There is plenty of fantastic young talent in and around domestic cricket in PNG, and the qualifiers present an opportunity for those young men to showcase their talents and move up onto higher honours with the Barramundis. We are up against Japan, who won qualification for the 2020 edition, so we will be using them and the Barramundis debut World Cup appearance as motivation to go one step further, to seal a berth in the 2022 Under 19s Men’s World Cup.”

“BSP is expecting a much improved 2021 backed by significant key projects expected to proceed in the near future, despite 2020 being a difficult year for individuals and businesses,” said BSP Group Chief Executive Officer, Robin Fleming, when releasing the BSP Economic & Market Insight December 2020 quarter  publication this week. Mr Fleming highlighted that dealing with the implications of the Covid-19 global pandemic was both a major challenge and significant achievement for the bank in responding positively to a difficult year. “Global economic output is expected to expand by 4% in 2021 but remain more than 5% below pre-pandemic projections whilst PNG economic growth is projected to recover to 2.5%.” He outlined the following supporting views as presented in the quarterly publication: Global economic growth is expected to expand by 4.0% in 2021, after shrinking by-4.3% in 2020. Global growth is envisioned to moderate down in 2022 to 3.8%, weighed down by lasting damage from COVID-19.Advanced economies are projected to recover, with growth reaching 3.3% and 3.5% in 2021 and 2022 respectively, on the back of pandemic containment, aided by widespread vaccination and sustained monetary policy accommodation, which is expected to more than offset the partial unwinding of fiscal support.Pacific region is expected to recover by 1.3% in 2021, contingent on how quickly travel and trade restrictions are resolved, according to the ADB’s December Report. The economies of Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu are expected to recover in 2021, but remain below 2019 levels. Samoa, Tonga and Cook Islands are expected to continue to struggle, with travel bans and different forms of containment measures remaining in place.PNG’s Economic growth in 2021 is seen to recover to 2.5% vs a 0.4% increase in 2020. Mr Fleming added that PNG’s growth is expected on the back of the major projects proceeding in the near future. “Major projects such as the Wafi-Golpu valued at K18.4b have received environmental approval and the Papua LNG fiscal stability agreement has been signed by all parties. This also includes the planned resumption of Porgera Mine in the near future which will provide immediate Foreign Exchange relief. The global rollout of Covid-19 vaccinations in 2021 will permit some normalcy to international travel. This will in turn provide much needed support for the hotel and airline industries,” Mr Fleming concluded.

Goilala MP William Samb said ethnic clashes in the nations capital, Port Moresby is nonsense and unnecessary and condemned in the strongest possible terms the recent ethnic clash between people of Tari and Goilala which led to the tragic death two men. “This nonsense of Goilala and Tari people fighting has to stop. We have to put a stop to it”, said Mr Samb. Mr Samb apologized on behalf of the people of Goilala District to the family of the deceased and said that the perpetrators involved in the killing will be apprehended and dealt with accordingly. A meeting was held this afternoon under the Erima Flyover Bridge to solve the issue over the death of two (2) men over the weekend. The MP for Goilala said the lives lost during this death were unnecessary and he is disgusted by the manner in which these people were killed.  He added asking the Police Force, the Goilala community and the people of Erima to help identify and find the perpetrators involved. “To the culprits behind this killing, I want you to come forward, show yourself peacefully and don’t try to run away from the law”, said Mr Samb Mr Samb addressed the Erima Tari Community who attended the meeting on the process and program of the ‘Haus Karai’ (House of Mourn) and how the deceased were to be taken care of. “We will be visiting the Haus Karai to see how things are going and to make sure the Haus Karai is short and the deceased are laid to rest”, said Samb He said he is hopeful that after the burial of the victims, a suitable venue can be identified to organize a reconciliation ceremony that will involve the Tari Community and Goilala Community in Port Moresby to come to a compromise over food and put an end these ethnic clashes. Central Province Commander, Mr Tapp Opai appealed to the people of Tari and Goilala to find peace. Central Provincial Police Commander Tapp Opai addressing the crowd at Erima Flyover. “Incident at 2 Mile, we hear Tari and Goilala, incident at Koki, we here Tari and Goilala, incident at Erima, we hear Tari and Goilala and this is not good”, said Mr Opai He said if you don’t go out looking for trouble, nothing bad will happen to you , but if you do and you are in trouble, it then becomes a law and order issue because it will then involve everyone in the community. Erima Tari/Hela Community Spokesperson, Mr Roy Ambuari said that if you are a Tari person living in Erima, 5 Mile, 8 Mile, 9 Mile or around NCD and you are provoking this kind of behavior, Port Moresby is too big for you to be causing such issues like this. “Don’t bring in your conflicts or troubles from Tari into the city”, ended Mr Ambuari. Present at the meeting was Member for Goilala, Mr William Samb, Central Province Commander, Mr Tapp Opai, Officer In Charge for Badili Police Station, Senior Constable Mr Moses Pio, Erima Tari Spokesperson, Mr Roy Ambuari and the Erima Tari Community.

Lawlessness within Hanuabada and other Motu-Koita villages will be in the spotlight when a workable Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is signed between the Motu-Koita Assembly (MKA) and the Royal PNG Police Constabulary with achievable outcomes and best practices in addressing Law and Order. NCD/Central Divisional Commander ACP Anthony Wagambie Jnr said police and MKA have embarked on an MoU to have a community approach to policing Hanuabada and its neighboring villages since late 2019 after taking office. While it was work in progress, Covid-19 put all plans on halt, taking up most of 2020 as well. "After taking office as Divisional Commander late 2019, I had a formal meeting with Chairman Motu Koita Dadi Toka Jr around November 2019, where he had raised concerns about law and order issues in Hanuabada and MK villages," said ACP Wagambie Jnr. Mr Wagambie said Hanuabada is a very sensitive area to Police, given the previous incidences of confrontation between Police and the villagers, leading to serious injuries and death. "This happened well before I took office. I had made assurance to the villagers that neutral investigation from Police Headquarters Crimes Directorate was to take place." "Early last week, Chairman Toka Jr and his team met with Commissioner of Police David Manning to initiate the MOU." "I got in touch with Chairman Toka Jr and a meeting was arranged between myself and team which included Metropolitan Superintendent NCD Superintendent Gideon Ikumu, NCD Policing Zone One Commander Chief Inspector Fred Tundu along with Chairman MKA and his team." "From the policing perspective, we want the MOU to be practical and achievable." He said from past experiences, MOU/MOA's are signed, looking good on paper but not easily achieved physically. He said NCD Metsupt Mr Ikumu and his team have worked on this with MKA ensuring that the MOU will achieve that. "I thank Chairman Dadi Toka Jr for his understanding and flexibility in allowing us to have our input.I understand the MOU is now ready for Commissioner of Police David Manning to sign after Police Legal Officers peruse it." "The Police Commissioner is the only person authorised to sign MOU/MOA on behalf of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary,"said Wagambie. He said while this was being worked on, an unfortunate incident occurred last weekend, of a young Hanuabada male losing his life in a confrontation between youths from neighbouring Baruni village. This now proves that we must move fast. "We must understand that Motu Koita villages, in particular Hanuabada situation is quite different from the rest of the country. Their traditional hunting, gardening and fishing areas have been taken up by the fast pace of development of the Capital City of PNG, Port Moresby." "It is something which they didn't chose, it has been inheritated over the years, which they have to live with. Nonetheless, this still does not warrant the villagers to break the law." ACP Wagambie Jnr said issues such as homebrew distilling and sales will be addressed as well as unnecessary stopping of traffic on main roads. He said he is confident both parties will be able to address and manage law and order issues within Hanuabada and Motu Koitabu villages once the MOU is signed. "I envision a community approach to policing in this particular environment. Giving back ownership of law and order issues." "It will be a test kit, and if it works out well it can be used in other communities. With every new intervention of projects, it will be work in progress. We will get better as we move along, adjusting along the way."

Papua New Guinea's total Covid-19 cases reported have reached 900 cases following five new case of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) reported in the last 24 hours. The latest cases were reported in the Western province. Three male and two female ages ranging from 28 to 34 years are the latest to be confirmed positive. The five from the North Fly area did not show symptoms of COVID-19 virus during the time of testing but swab samples returned otherwise. Two of the five cases came into contact with a previous case whilst three were detected through mass testing. The country's COVID-19 cases as a result stands at 900 with nine known deaths.  Seventeen provinces including the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB) have reported cases. The distribution of the cases is as follows: Provinces Confirmed Cases NCD 371 Western Province 226 West New Britain 194 East New Britain 30 New Ireland 22 Eastern Highlands  13 Western Highlands  10 Central  11 Morobe 9 East Sepik 3 Enga 3 Milne Bay 2 West Sepik 2 Southern Highlands 1 AROB 1 Hela Province 1 Madang  1 TOTAL 900 Globally, the total confirmed cases of COVID-19 has reached 105,394,301 including 432,332 new cases reported in the last 24 hours.  The death toll is 2,302,302 of which 11,751 were reported in the last 24 hours.

The first-ever Bougainville Economic and Investment Summit will be held in Arawa on May 5 and 6 this year. This was one of the nine resolutions of the Joint Supervisory Body (JSB) meeting in Arawa last Friday (February 5, 2021). Prime Minister Hon. James Marape got the ball rolling with K3 million support for the conference. He made a commitment to be back for the conference. "We commit K3 million to assist the investment seminar," PM Marape said. "We will do our best to bring Port Moresby-based businesses to come and have a look around to partner locals." PM Marape said the K20 million earmarked by the National Government for Bougainville SME loans would be launched at the May conference. This represents 10 per cent of the K200 million given by Government for SME loans this year

Peter Tsiamalili Jnr has been declared Bougainville's duly-elected regional MP tonight following a by-election for the region. Tsiamalili Jnr was declared by Provincial Returning Officer Alwyn Jimmy after reaching the absolute majority of votes after the 4th exclusion with a final total of 37, 534 votes at the Hutjena Secondary School Hall Counting Centre. The absolute majority was 36,163 after 4th exclusion. Simon Dumarinu was the runner-up with 34,790 votes to finish second. Listen in to the news on this station & follow our website pnghausbung.com for more on this story. Picture sourced: United Bougainville Front

The Centre for Excellence in Financial Inclusion (CEFI) and the Milne Bay Provincial Administration (MBPA) have unanimously agreed to work together in partnership to drive the agenda of Financial Inclusion in the province. Both CEFI and MBPA came to agreement following respective meetings of the Milne Bay Steering Committee on Financial Inclusion on January 28 and 29 in Alotau. The purpose of the meeting was to induct members of the Milne Bay Financial Inclusion Steering Committee. From the meeting key activities were identified to begin the process of financial inclusion agenda in the province which included, Baseline Survey on Financial Inclusion in the province, Training of Trainers for Financial Literacy Training, Business Development Service Training for SMEs inthe province, hosting of Financial Inclusion Exposition and Pilot Project on expanding access of financial products and services in the province down to the districts. Some key resolutions that came out of the meeting included, the finalization of the appointment of the Milne Bay Provincial Financial Inclusion Steering Committee, finalization of the terms of reference for the committee, finalization of the 2021 annual work plan, date of the next meetingand setting up of a desk to coordinate financial inclusion in the province. The formation of the steering committee is part of a list of activities outlined in the scope of Memorandum of Agreement (MOU) signed between MPBA and CEFI on 25th November 2019. The three year MOU which will expire on 23rd September 2022, under clause 2.13 states, called for the “establishment of a Project Steering Committee (PSC) that will include representatives from the provincial government, CEFI, private sector and civil agencies in the province.” CEFI’s Manager for Special Projects Busa Jeremiah Wenogo emphasized the need for the financial inclusion agenda to be embedded in the province and urged MBPA and the Financial Institution’s to work together collaborately to drive financial inclusion in the province. “There is a need now for us to work together to educate our population on financial literacy as well as how to save money and invest in productive activities to help their families improve their wellbeing,” Mr Wenogo said. “This induction very much concerned about articulating your roles and responsibility in order that you carry out your responsibility well. This Steering committee will provide oversight and guidance in terms of how financial inclusion activities will be undertaken in the province, MrWenogo explained to the committee members. Mr Wenogo also highlighted the importance of financial institutions engagement in the financial inclusion agenda in the province adding they were important partners in driving financial inclusion in the province. “You are going to be a very important partner in this process of embedding financial inclusion in the province. Through the induction process we hope that you get an appreciation of what CEFI and BPNG plans to do so that you can also come in to drive the process,” he told representatives of financial institutions. Representatives from the financial inclusion expressed their willingness to partner in the financial inclusion agenda and work together with the MBPA and urged the MBPA to be more active in involving them in their financial inclusion activities. MBPA Deputy Administrator, Corporate and District Services, Sharon Mua assured the financial institutions present at the meetings that they are looking forward to working with them in achieving the activities set out in the work plan. The meetings also included presentations from CEFI’s Manager for Special Projects Busa Jeremiah Wenogo, on the National Financial Inclusion Policy, Proposed Milne Bay Provincial Work Plan for Financial Inclusion and Terms of Reference for Milne Bay Provincial Steering Committee onFinancial Inclusion. In attendance were representatives from the MBPA’s Commerce Division, Alotau District Development Authority and Financial Institutions including, Nasfund, Namabawan Super, Women’s Micro Bank, TISA, Mi Bank and Bank South Pacific. For further information on the work of CEFI please contact CEFI Communications and Stakeholder Mobilisation Team: +675 3225300, email: ekuson@thecefi.org or visit www.thecefi.org

Buk bilong Pikinini (BbP) has been in partnership with the Swiss Embassy in Canberra for more than six years and is now looking forward to embarking on a new project to carry out teacher training for school teachers in Eastern Highlands Province. H.E. Yasmine Chatila Zwahlen - Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, and Special Envoy of Switzerland for the Pacific Region signed the new agreement with BbP Founder Anne-Sophie Hermann at the Swiss Embassy in Canberra last week. The new agreement will be to a support Swiss Foundation NGO based in EHP with capacity development training for their school-teachers. The training will be in BbP’s highly efficient Early Childhood Development program and School Library management. The training includes lessons in phonics routines, early childhood literacy and numeracy, management of classroom settings, lesson planning and delivery, positive behavior management in the classroom and much more. The teachers will also be supported to run library classes and manage a school library. In addition to providing the training, BbP will also provide the teachers and schools with curriculum handbooks, teaching aids and guides in BbP’s Early Childhood Literacy and Numeracy program, BbP published class room reader sets, phonics books as well as a School Library kit which contains 1000 books in all categories. H.E. Yasmine Chatila Zwahlen – Swiss Ambassador to Papua New Guinea,  said: “The Embassy of Switzerland has been collaborating with Buk bilong Pikinini for over 6 years now and supported a number of very successful projects. Through this partnership, Switzerland has had a defining impact on the lives of girls and boys, including vulnerable children. I find it particularly important that our new project builds on the professional development of teachers, mostly women. They assume a huge responsibility towards the youngest generation and I find it very important to value, encourage and acknowledge their role.” Throughout the partnership, the Swiss Embassy has assisted BbP with funding to build a library on Tatana Island, providing School Library Kits to remote schools, re-stocking the Bui Iebi Prison library near Mendi and has provided funding for the development of the teacher training program. The teacher training program offered will be certain to have a real impact on the teachers ability to deliver their teaching in a more efficient way and allow the children to greatly improve their literacy and numeracy skills. BbP works with partners to provide teacher training, classroom materials and books to teachers and schools across the country. For more information about the training, teaching aids or School Library Kits please contact Buk bilong Pikinini.

PNG Power Limited's Managing Director Flagon Bekker welcomed the newly appointed Chairman of the Board of PNG Power, Mr Moses Maladina, in a formal swearing-in ceremony that took place the PPL Headquarters in Port Moresby recently. Mr Maladina, a former politician and a business man, was appointed by an NEC decision on 20th January 2021 and gazetted on 27th, took his oath before Magistrate Seth Tanei. He replaces the outgoing former Board Chairman, Mr Peter Nupiri. Two new female Board Directors as well were appointed by the NEC to to serve under Mr Maladina's chairmanship. Mrs Akae Beach, who is a business woman with a Masters Degree in Accounting, and Ms Sarah Kuman, who has a Law Degree and specializes in Corporate and Commercial advice and Natural Resource law. Ms Beach was available in person to be sworn-in. Ms Beach is one of two females in the new PNG Power Board In welcoming them, Mr Bekker said the experience that the Directors are bringing into PNG Power are exceptional. He said Governance is critical, in a SOE, and it takes a broad level of experience. "...There is depth, breadth; from internal auditing experience... to resources sector deal making experience..." "The PPL Chairman brings extensive experience from political leadership to, business. PNG Power is very fortunate to have candidates of this calibre, joining the Board," Mr Bekker said. Mr Bekker also highlighted key fundamentals of being in the leadership roles. He said 'Leadership' is a skill that can be learnt, that can be practiced for, to master. "What helps us in leadership skills is to have role models. And ultimately for me personally, that's what the Board is. Members of the Board are there to act role models for the management and leadership team and broadly speaking across the SOE's," Mr Bekker said. "I am very excited about the role models that are coming to support us PNG Power over the next 3 months. Mr Maladina taking his oath during his swearing-in at the PNG Power Boardroom

Quick intervention by NCD police today had prevented further escalation of violence after a young man from Hanuabada was tragically stabbed on the weekend and passed away this morning. After news of the victims death reached the main Hanuabada village, road blocks were set up at the Badihagwa Roundabout towards the freeway, HB Bypass toward Gabi, Koura Way and June Valley as villagers marched to Baruni demanding for the suspects involved in the death of the young man to be released immediately. Zone 1 Commader Mr. Fred Tundu was on hand to calm the situation from escalating further. The villagers were advised to remove the roadblock and assurance was given by NCD police that the suspects in the killing would be apprehended and brought in. NCD Police together with community leaders and MKA Chairman Dadi Toka Jr with representatives from Motu Koita Assembly then proceeded to Baruni to talk with the families of both suspects. The two suspects were handed over peacefully to the NCD Police.The road is now clear and free for the public to use. Police investigations are continuing. Motu Koita reps talking to Baruni villagers Sourced: Police - NCD/Central Divisional Command