Abel: Plan to empower people

TRANSPORT infrastructure, communication, agriculture, small scale forestry and tourism will empower local level governments, National Planning and Monitoring Minister and Alotau MP Charles Abel says.
He said this during the launching of a five-year district plan in Alotau last weekend.
Abel said transport and communication were priority areas in empowering people at the provincial, district and LLG levels.
“Being able to access the rural areas through transport and communication helps facilitates nearly all other activities from marketing of produce, to movement of building materials, medicines and public servants,” he said.
Priority projects for Alotau are:
l    Magi-Charles Abel Highway (Gogosiba to East Cape);
l    North Coast Highway Stage 1;
l    Fife Bay Road;
l    Sirisiri-Agaun Road Stage 1;
l    Jetty programme;
l    Suau High School – completed to Grade 12;
l    KB Youth Centre Programme;
l    Towers for mobile coverage;
l    NBC Milne Bay coverage boost to whole district;
l    Health Centre Maintenance and Ambulance each;
l    Police post, lock up and housing at each LLG headquarters;
l    Housing programme – roofing iron, solar lamp and water tank to each household;
l    Alotau Urban 10-Year Development Plan and Implementation;
l    Copra subsidy and oil palm seedlings assistance; and
l    Relocation of district headquarters to Alotau with establishment of new office building, workshop and housing.