ENB launches major plans

By ABIGAIL APINA
EAST New Britain provincial government and its administration successfully launched two major planning documents last Friday after working on it for the last four years
These two documents were the ENB strategic development plan (SDP) and the ENB corporate plan.
Speaking at the launch, Governor Leo Dion said the SDP was a testimony of a people’s desire to meaningfully and equally participate in the development of the province in order that changes are seen in the communities
“This plan focuses on people as the subject for development and strengthens the principal of the real democracy, that is, the government should be with the people, by the people, for the people,” Dion said.
He added that the administration tried to fulfil this principle by affecting a greater degree of bottom-up approach through a long, but worthy consultation process which enabled the administration to conduct district forums, liaise with community leaders through their LLG representatives and consult  the business community in Kokopo and other significant organisations
According to Dion, the administration also undertook analysis of existing national sector plans and policies and research into development paths and ideas of our forefathers which has become the foundation of development in the province.
He said the SDP was a link to all other strategies including the PNG Vision 2050, the PNG development strategy and the medium term development plan.
The plan includes a set of overarching strategies for 10 years and will be the basis for sectoral planning, programming and budgeting as part of the implementation of the plan
“The vision is for ENB to have an educated, healthy and wealthy population living in a socially peaceful and wise community, therefore, people must be empowered in order to be self-reliant,” Dion said.
He further challenged NGI region to be strategic by forming alliances, adding it would bring about changes in the region from a political unit to a major economic unit.
The corporate plan is an internal management tool for the administration to improve its management capabilities in order to deliver the strategic development plan and Dion urged the administration to be strategic in its delivery of SDP.