The Nuku District Station in the West Sepik province came alive last week Friday 17th of November, with the celebration of the establishment of the Nuku District Youth Development Council. The youth, community and government officials converged at the Nuku Central Local Level Government (LLG) Chambers to witness the swearing in of the youth leaders from the four (4) Local Youth Development Councils (Nuku Central, Palai, Yangkok and Maimai Wanwan) into office as executives of the District Youth Development Council (DYDC). The newly appointed executives were sworn in by the local magistrate, His Honour Nasihing Bingtau. An historic moment for the young people in the district that will pave way for empowerment and meaningful integration. This is the wave of change for the youth and the new order now sweeping across the country through the initiative of DYDC, created by the NYDA. DYDC is a stakeholder collaboration vehicle and a brainchild of NYDA Director General Joe Itaki in taking the government's development agenda of 'Leaving No Child Behind' and tailoring it to suit NYDA's own mandate of 'Leaving No Youth Behind.' Mr. Itaki said that the young people are the greatest agents of change in the country. "To be young is definitely one of the most beautiful times in a person's life. They are full of energy, dreams and have so many aspirations. But there are many challenges too," says Mr. Itaki., Therefore, he said collaboration and partnership is the way forward. The establishment of the DYDC provides the opportunity for the youth voice to be heard in the broader decision-making forums such as LLG, DDA Board, Provincial Assembly. For the first time it gives greater participation for the youth in the subnational governments and their aspirations are heard and captured in these development programs. The Nuku DYDC swearing in was witnessed by the NYDA Deputy Director General, Mr. Roby Duri, who officially declared and launched the newly established youth development councils. Mr Duri explained that they have signed declarations of oaths, which now confers them the leadership role stipulated in the NYDA Act 2014. Duri encouraged the youth leaders to work alongside the District and LLG administrations and raise the youth profile of the district. Meanwhile, the District Administrator, Mr. Paul Nengai, stressed the importance of leadership and told the youth leaders that their responsibility comes with trust and respect; therefore, they must aspire to rise up to the occasion. He explained that the Chairperson of Nuku DYDC, Mr Junior Kipai, now has a great task ahead of him with his executives and can be called upon to join the DDA & LLG Level. On behalf of local MP Mr. Joseph Sungi, who wasn't present, Mr. Nengai expressed sincere gratitude and thanked NYDA in taking the call from the District to partner and engage actively with the youth. The community in general was very supportive of the Nuku DYDC and pledged to work with the young leaders going forward. Engaging the youth meaningfully and life opportunities will keep them away from trouble and social issues associated with young people who have nothing to do. The NYDA also thanked Joseph Sungi, MP for Nuku and Minister for Public Service in mobilising the district youth through his foresight and strong leadership. Ends//EM

The total of K10 million has been allocated by the government to go towards the relief supplies for the displaced people from the Mt. Ulawun volcano eruption in the West New Britain (WNB) province this week. This was confirmed by the Minister for Defence and caretaker Minister for National Disaster, Win Bakri Daki, when responding to questions from the Governor for West New Britain province Sasindran Muthuvel, during question time in parliament today. The governor asked the Minister to request for assistance from partner countries of Papua New Guinea (PNG) like Australia and the United States and China, in terms of assessing the magnitude of the disaster and also supply of materials to rebuild the communities affected by the natural disaster. The governor said this because the extant of the damages caused by the eruption and the subsequent ash fall and lava flow, is massive and its been almost a week now that the people are living in the various care centers. The Minister assured him that his province would receive the funds very soon. “The prime minister acted quickly to allocate the K10 million for the relief supplies to your people,” said Minister Daki. “This K10 million will be diverted to your provincial disaster office in the next few days for access of funds to get supplies like food and water for the affected people.” Also, the minister confirmed that a formal request has been sent this morning to PNG’s partner countries for assistance and they expect a response soon.

The Government’s ambitious Connect PNG program since its launching 2020, has seen the creation of road links to places that were once isolated from main centers; however, the matter of its priority of roads was questioned by the National Capital District (NCD) Governor in parliament this week. Governor Powes Parkop during question time in parliament, asked if there was some sort of structure in place in the Connect PNG program that gives priority to road links of economic benefits to provinces and districts, before going on to other road links. The governor’s question was directed towards the Minister for Works and Highways. In his response, Minister Solan Mirisim said that there was structure in place that enables the prioritizing of roads that are vital to economic development and is covered in the various phases of the Connect PNG Program. “Yes, we have roads that are of priority that we have put them into phase one, phase two and phase three of the program,” said the Minister. “They are economic roads and economic roads are given priority.” The Connect PNG Program is the government strategy aimed to foster sustainable socioeconomic development and national unity, by enhancing the key economic road transport network connectivity across the Momase, Highlands, Southern, and New Guinea Islands regions over the next two decades.

The Provincial Health Authorities (PHAs) have come under the gaze of the prime minister after concerns were raised about how these health authorities are operating and their use of funds for health sector administration in the provinces. Prime Minister (PM) James Marape in parliament today, without revealing too much about the 2024 budget allocation for the health sector, said that health will continue to be a major priority. “We are ramping up more allocation to the health sector. The health sector will continue to receive great support,” said the PM. “I will ask the health minister to present all PHA reports to this parliament and we take a stock as to what is happening in respective PHAs across the country.” He said PHAs are operating autonomously, meaning they run their own operations without answering really to anyone. Marape said in 2021, the government gave more funds straight to PHAs for work such as data collection, health service delivery and the main administration of the health sector in the provinces, which is the main priority of the PHAs. But, the concern here is what they are really doing if they don’t answer to the health department and the government. Marape said his government discovered as well that some PHAs have been recruiting people without any medical background into positions in the PHAs. This was discovered in 2020 when COVID- 19 hit the country. As such, he said parliament made amendments late last year to make PHAs be accountable to the National Department of Health and will continue to monitor this in real time.

Credit Corporation (PNG) Limited has extended its financial services to the Highlands region with the recent opening of its new branch in the city of Mt. Hagen, Western Highlands Province (WHP). The new branch is located at the Gapina Development Building and offers customers a range of financial services for individuals and businesses. The opening of the branch was officiated by Credit Corporation’s Head of Lending, Ben Kaspar who stated that the branch is a testament to the company’s dedication to improving customer accessibility and service quality. "Our customers are at the heart of everything we do here at Credit Corporation," said Kaspar. "We understand the importance of having easy access to financial services, and our new branch is a reflection of that commitment." Mr. Kaspar also emphasized on the significance of establishing a branch in Mt. Hagen, recognizing it as a central hub of businesses within the Highlands region of the country. The opening of the new branch also aligns with Credit Corporation's commitment to better serve the communities in which it operates, fostering economic growth, and contributing to the overall development of the Highlands region. “Our Mt. Hagen branch will serve not only our customers in Western Highlands, but also in surrounding provinces such as Enga, Southern Highlands, Jiwaka and Simbu,” said Kaspar. He further added that Credit Corporation has been providing valuable financial services to the people of WHP since 2014, and the decision to establish a new branch reflects the company’s confidence in the region's growth and development. The official opening of the new branch took place on the 15th of November and was officiated by Mr. Kaspar, who stated that the branch is a testament to the company’s dedication to improving customer accessibility and service quality. The new branch is located at the Gapina Development Building and offers customers a range of financial services for individuals and businesses.

After over a decade of continuous hard work to establish a platform for the youths of the Sinesine Yongomugl district of Simbu province to voice their concerns, the district finally has a new District Youth Development Council to do that, and more, all thanks to some great collaborative work. It took 11 years of continuous work in order to have a formal, independent youth voice mechanism and structure that is legitimate and recognized by the Youth Development mandated agency, under the leadership of the local Member of Parliament, Kerenga Kua, who set the foundation of establishing the United Sinesine Yongomugl Youth Association, which has transitioned into a District Youth Development Council that connects youth representatives from Ward level, to the Local Level Government (LLG) and then to the District. The outcome was a collaborative effort of the National Youth Development Authority (NYDA) and the District Development Authority of SineSine Yongomugl, with the support from the Minister for Petroleum and MP, Kerenga Kua. The commissioning of the interim executives of the youth council and the official launching ceremony, which was hosted by the Director General of the NYDA Mr. Joe Itaki, was held at the Ku Junior High School on the 17th of November, and witnessed by the Provincial Administrator for Simbu Province Mr. John Punde, Simbu Provincial Community Development Advisor Ms. Catherine Aiwa, as well as the Sinesine Yongomugl District Development Authority (DDA) representative Mr. Dennis Bal and his delegation. During the launching ceremony, Mr. Punde congratulated NYDA and the DDA for establishing the first District Youth Development Council in the province, and he went on to invite NYDA to establish youth councils for the remaining 5 Districts in the Province. Mr. Itaki in his remarks acknowledged the call to action by the Provincial Administrator and further stated that the youth council in the district opens many opportunities for the personal and skills development of youths. It is an avenue that will groom young leaders to be agents of change in society. He added that the NYDA considers the youth council network as a vehicle for youth service delivery that acts as the engine room for youth development work, resource mobilization, and meaningful youth engagement in LLGs, Districts and in the Province. The same sentiments were shared by Ms. Aiwa. “The National Youth Development Authority will return next year to continue to build the capacity of the youth council by conducting Leadership Capacity Building workshops and Skills Development Trainings to empower youths within the district,” she said. “At the same time, it will consult with the remaining 5 Districts within the province in preparation for the setup of their district youth councils as well and hopefully the Provincial Youth Development Council of Simbu.”

The people living along the Purari River in the Gulf province who have been facing some serious times with the bad weather conditions, are now getting much needed relief supply with the help of the Papua LNG Project team. The local communities along the waterway, have been greatly affected by the recent flooding and king tides that destroyed farming land, clean drinking water and land for shelter. In response to this, the Project team launched a Disaster Relief Mission on the 02nd of November to assist villages in its area of influence, with 30 tonnes of food rations and medicines. Not only that, in coordination with the Gulf Provincial Authority, the Project team will also be providing relief assistance to communities outside its area of influence. Further to this, in recognition of the need for the Provincial and District Administrations to enhance their social service delivery to the waterway communities, the Project team will be allocating one dinghy each, to the Baimuru Local Level Government (LLG) Administration, the Ihu LLG and the Kerema Disaster Office. These dinghies will go towards supporting these offices in carrying out their respective functions to provide social services to the waterway communities. The mission began at Apiope village at the mouth of the Purari River with Project staff distributing food rations and medical supplies, which were specifically handed over to a Community Health Worker based at the aid post or the health centre in the village or administered by the team doctor himself. Food items such as rice, tuna, noodles and biscuits, as well as essential items such as buckets, mosquito nets, anti-malaria and water purification tablets, were donated to 15 identified villages along the Purari.

A total of ten students from two major universities in the country have been given the opportunity to do some hands on work as part of their practical with one of the country’s major mining projects. These ten high-performance students from the Papua New Guinea (PNG) University of Technology (UOT) in Lae and the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) in Port Moresby, were given this opportunity of a lifetime after they were selected to be involved in an immersive 11-week industrial training program with Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML) in the Western province. The trainees, seven from PNG UOT and three from UPNG, are all third-year undergraduates under OTML's Undergraduate Students Scholarship (USS) program. The trainees are embedded in various departments aligned with their academic disciplines, ensuring a hands-on experience gained to complement their classroom-based learning. These departments include Processing Mechanical Maintenance, Engineering and Roads, Power Services, Process Technical Services, Mine Production, Environment and Geology, and Exploration. Manager Training and Development, Mr. Ian Strachan, said this was a unique opportunity for these students to bridge the gap between theory and practice. “We aim to provide them with an environment where they can apply their knowledge in real-world scenarios, setting the stage for a successful career," he said. General Manager People and Culture, Mr. Mark Stone, congratulated the trainees on being selected for the scholarship program and encouraged them to seize every moment of the experience. "This is more than a training program; it's a chance for you to apply what you have learnt at university in the day-to-day operations of the industry, learn on-the-job from the best and forge connections that will support your future career," he remarked. Whilst the industrial training ends in January 2024, trainees who achieve a GPA of 3.5 or above in their final academic year may have the opportunity to join the Graduate Development Scheme (GDS) program, another stepping stone towards realising a career within the company.

The newly created district of Wau Wari in the Morobe province is now in the process of establishing its own youth program aimed at supporting and engaging the youths in the development aspirations of the new district. The Wau Waria district’s 'Youth Empowerment Program' was initiated by the Open Member Mr. Marsh Narewec, and for its effective implementation, the establishment of the youth council is the way forward. This then leading to the National Youth Development Authority (NYDA) being invited for a one-day consultation which was held on the 10th of November. The outcome of that consultation set forth three requirements for both parties to meet. 1. Establish partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), 2. Commence Ward youth registration, and 3. Establish and formalize the Local, and District Youth councils respectively. Present during the consultation were the District Administrator Mr. John Orebut, the Open Member's Political Officer Mr. Hercules Jim, the Town Mayor, District officers and representatives from the communities. The NYDA now looks forward to work together with the District to see the full establishment of the youth councils in Wau Waria.

The recently held 14th World Indigenous Business Forum (WIBF) lived to its purpose of making connections between indigenous businesses in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and indigenous businesses from overseas. A satisfied Minister for International Trade and Investments, Richard Maru, said these connections will go a long way to assisting Papua New Guinea (PNG) businesses find better market opportunities in the overseas markets. “The connections that we have made during this Forum will not stop here. The Papua New Guinea indigenous business community want to connect to the global indigenous business network,” said Minister Maru. “We want to work with the Indigenous Leadership Development Institute to make sure we have a chapter in this country through a body that best represents our indigenous businesses, so that we will connect directly with the rest of the world indigenous business community.” On that note, Minister Maru extended his thank you once again to Prime Minister James Marape for his strong leadership and for his support in hosting this global event, as it has achieved its intended purpose. “We believe that we have delivered one of the best World Indigenous Business Forum ever hosted by any country in the world, and we could not have done it without the support of our Government and sponsors,” said Minister Maru.

The review process of the National Youth Development Authority (NYDA) Act 2014, which was conducted very recently in the city of Lae for the Momase region, was done with the aim to amend the Act to align it with the revised National Youth Policy (NYP) 2020 to 2030. The purpose of the Act review is to identify and remove impediments in the NYDA Act and introduce amendments that will foster effective youth service delivery at the sub-national level and creating legal pathways for youth service providers to anchor youth interventions within the legal ambit. The current NYDA Act and the NYP are key statutory apparatus that guide youth service delivery at all levels, hence it is only fitting that the two synergize and align in all aspects. The amended Act will bestow more authority on the NYDA to regulate youth service providers so that the government has visibility on youth programs delivered by donor partners and stakeholders. The Minister for Youth, Religion and Community Development, Jason Peter, who officiated at the workshop, highlighted that youth issues need to be appreciated by all partners and stakeholders and forge a working alliance to manage youth issues in every setting. "Youth is described as a 'time bomb' in many gatherings. When are we going to defuse the time bomb? If we do not have appropriate interventions to defuse the time bomb, the time bomb will erupt in 5 to 10 years' time, and we will be victims one way or another." He further mentioned that the challenge is how to navigate the way forward to tackle the issues. Thus, the focus of the workshop was to identify legal and administrative loopholes that impede youth service delivery, and institute change for positive youth development in the country. The minister looks forward to presenting the amended Act to the National Executive Council (NEC) after all consultations. Meanwhile, the other three regional workshops will convene soon.

The country’s bid to get into the NRL Telstra Premiership in the near future would also depend on finding the best players that Papua New Guinea (PNG) can produce through the training programs especially from the junior programs up, to form that dream team. One person in particular who knows very well about this, is Brisbane Broncos Ambassador and former Club Captain Alex Glen, who was in Port Moresby recently with other Broncos team members including from the NRLW, on a run for BSP to support their financial literacy programs in schools. From his experience in the NRL and from his journey to the top league competition in Australia, he said to be a great athlete one has to develop good qualities and attitude. To achieve this, his advice to the young and upcoming rugby league players in PNG is to set goals and be willing to make sacrifices. “My advice is start setting down goals, writing down goals because goals helped me achieve everything, I wanted in rugby league,” Alex advised. “The reason I say this is because when I stared at my goals and dreams that I had on a piece of paper, it kept driving me on the days I didn’t want to train.” He said one has to be willing to make some big sacrifices as well to achieve the goals and dreams on becoming the best rugby league player. “What I mean by that is sacrificing the bad food, sacrificing the going to parties or hanging out with friends, in order to be able to train as hard as you can. Because nothing ever happens when you don’t put the work in.” Alex himself made 285 appearances, scored 58 ties and racked up 232 points during his career with the NRL and the Brisbane Broncos.