Western Highlands submits development plan

WESTERN Highlands is the first provincial government in the country to submit its five-year development plan.
The government’s quick response to a National Planning ministerial instruction would allow for better budget allocation and funding.
Western Highlands Governor Tom Olga also presented the Mt Hagen city expansion plan and budget costing to National Planning and Development Minister Paul Tiensten in Port Moresby yesterday. Also in attendance was Public Enterprises Minister Arthur Somare.
The city expansion plan included all necessary costing that would require national government funding within the next five years.
Olga said the 2011-15 provincial development plan complemented the national government’s development plans aimed at improving the lives of the people.
He said although agriculture had been Western Highlands’ biggest stronghold, the province had been struggling with the forces of globalisation and increased law and order problems; impediments
to development.
The governor said the development plan would empower ward development programmes as a vehicle to drive Vision 2050 and the PNG sustainable development plan 2010-30 focusing on the millennium development goals and targets.
Olga said the Western Highlands government had set the framework to achieve the national goals in the medium term using Vision 2050 as a guide.
He said the idea was to enable the people to take ownership of development initiatives while being healthy,
happy and economically sustainable.
With the registration of the province’s development plan and projects with the Department of National Planning and District Development, Olga was hopeful that funds would be allocated through public investment programmes in next year’s national development budget.
Tiensten and Somare both applauded Olga and his provincial government for coming up with the development plans.