ENB considers aid from Incentive Fund

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Thursday 01st December 2011

EAST New Britain may benefit from a development fund provided by the governments of Australia and Papua New Guinea.
Called the Incentive Fund, it is facilitated by respective provincial AusAID offices and DPLLGA. It is being showcased in ENB to provide opportunities for potential applicants to seek information, guidance and advice on how to access the funding including eligibility criteria.
Team leader and programme director Paul Constable led a team comprising AusAID and DPLLGA officers to the province to explain the funding source.
He explained that the goal of the Fund was to provide in the next five years to 2014 funding to deliver significant and tangible economic and social outcomes to strengthen and reward Papua New Guinea organisations capable of delivering and maintaining development activities that would benefit the people.
Constable said the Fund was designed to encourage PNG organisations improve their performance in assisting effective service delivery and contributing to equal development.
Grants of between K500,000 and K10 million will be provided to eligible applicants who meet all requirements.
He said, from 2010-11, there were over 207 proposals valued at K88 million. More applications were still being processed.
The Australian government provides around K35 million each year to support new projects until 2014.
Constable said the Australia-PNG Incentive Fund began in 2000 and had completed the first and second stages to 2009. It completed 39 projects worth K220 million in 15 provinces.
He said ENB being one of the leading provinces and successfully piloting a number of projects through other sources of funding would benefit from this initiative.
Constable said Kambubu Secondary School and George Brown were potential schools in the province which the Fund had shown interest in funding in terms of improving capacity.