ENB faces evaluation, monitoring challenges

 THE East New Britain provincial administration continues to face monitoring and evaluation issues in the government system.

Commerce Adviser Henry Tavul said the issues had become a “huge challenge.”

He said basics such as record-keeping in the government system was lacking effectiveness and efficiency and not readily available for public consumption.

However, he said that despite the setbacks, the provincial government and its administration aimed at ensuring that by 2021, people in East New Britain should be empowered to drive out poverty.

“We need to utilise our skills in growing the local economy,” Tavul said. 

“In East New Britain, government and management is a priority but there is lack of proper records.”

He said that the province was focused on promoting agriculture, tourism, fisheries and cottage industry.

In order for these priority areas to be successful, basic record-keeping and financial literacy are critical in the province.

“We should stand for the best as professionals. Record-keeping creates accountability, transparency and integrity,” he said.

Tavul said there were 49,500 small medium enterprises operating in the province that have created about 300,000 jobs and contributed six per cent to GDP. He added that the provincial government was aiming at achieving another 17,000 SMEs by 2030 that will create 69,000 more jobs.