Being self-reliant helps economy: MP

EMPOWERING people to be self-reliant can contribute to Bougainville’s economy, North Bougainville MP Louta Atoi says.
Atoi said as Bougainville geared towards the proposed referendum in 2019, it was vital for every Bougainville leader to empower their people to achieve this.
He said when the people were self-reliant, they could work and contribute to the region’s economy.
Atoi said the challenge for every Bougainville leader was to tap into this area. “It is our challenge to invest into people’s life so they become partakers in economic development,” he said.
He said investing into potential sectors is also another challenge for Bougainville leaders.
“For instance in agriculture, cocoa can create economic empowerment when people venture into it,” he said.
Atoi has invested into the cocoa rehabilitation programme for farmers in Banio, North Bougainville.
“So far we gave about 600,000 seedlings to the farmers to plant,” he said.
“When the people are engaged in such activities, they are free and make their lives easy not to resort to any violence or problems,” he said.
He said investing in roads, hospitals and education was important. The district has seven local level governments.