Company recognises local expert’s dedication

WHEN it comes to the science of tropical annual crop production and various types of agriculture surveys in Papua New Guinea, Sharryl Ivahupa is an expert.
Ivahupa made her acquaintance with ExxonMobil PNG (EMPNG) in 2009 when the Australian National University conducted survey and census for the project.
She was their geography assistant with 16 years of experience in Papua New Guinea’s agriculture industry.
Due to her hardwork, Ivahupa’s skills were recognised by the company.
Under her new role as public and government affair’s resettlement adviser, she assisted the development of a resettlement manual and instructions that are used today.
Earlier last year, Ivahupa had the opportunity to represent EMPNG at the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) conference in Brisbane, where she presented on her experiences and lessons learned on resettlement and livelihood restoration for PNG LNG, alongside environmental practitioners and academics from around the world.
“Resettlement is a very sensitive subject, so training is a big must for anyone who wants to be involved.
“It’s not just as simple as going into communities and telling them the steps to resettlement. You do the first step and then review the process,” Ivahupa said.
“My advice for anyone in resettlement is always to ensure you go through the process correctly.”