Envoy sees potential in Lae

By GABRIEL LAHOC

UNITED States of America Ambassador Walter North says Lae could become a technology development centre because it already has the University of Technology and National Poly-technical Institute.

North visited Morobe yesterday and held talks with Governor Kelly Naru.

North pointed out that with the high internet rate in the country, a technology development centre could be set up in Lae.

North was accompanied on his first trip out of Port Moresby by economic officer Susan May, political and economic assistant Caroline Gaiyer and health affairs attaché Carlos Williams.

He met with Naru, deputy provincial administrator district services Patilus Gamato and acting health adviser Micah Yawing.

Naru said the province would need funding from international agencies to complement whatever the national government had allocated for its development plans.

Naru said it was not easy to implement the province’s development plans and achieve its goals because the national budget was tied to guidelines and priority areas.

But North said international financial institutions were very strict on how potential recipients were managing themselves.

He advised Naru to ask the other MPs in the province to put together funds from their district services improvement programmes and focus on priority areas.

They touched on possible assistance in the areas of education scholarships, information technology and international military services.

North said there erre opportunities available in education scholarships to the US which Naru welcomed as an opening for Morobe students who have also benefitted from the province’s Gerson-Solulu scholarship programme.

The team travels to Goroka today to meet Eastern Highlands Governor Julie Soso.