Develop land to generate wealth

 By DELLYANNE ILAI

PAPUA NEW GUINEA will generate more wealth if the government shifts priority to land development issues instead of focusing on resource development, National Research Institute director DrThomas Webster says.

“Land development is critical and fundamental to generate wealth through economic growth in PNG,” Webster said in Port Moresby.

Prior to the 2005 experience, some Papua New Guineans knew the history of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other international partners who tried to bring  developments into customary land. 

It had impact on five University of PNG students killed while Sir Mekere Morauta’s government lost the election partly as a result of land issues.

Yesterday, during the opening of the 48th annual Survey Congress, Webster said non-renewable resources like oil and gas, mining and timber were in the forefront of government business but the best outlook was in agriculture and broadband long-term economic growth.

Webster, the chairman of the Task Force Team for Land, said according to their research,and those from abroad, in 2005-2007 they had set a milestone for the National Land Development Plan to generate wealth through land development towards Vision 2050.

“Our best prospects are in agriculture and long-term broadband economic growth would only come through proper government investments, including the landowners in the land development,” Webster said.

“We have seen towns and cities running out of land because they had gone beyond, the boundaries and customary land in cities was turned into squatter settlements.”