Firm invests K20mil in community projects

By CLARISSA MOI
THE Mineral Resources Development Company has invested about K20 million in projects along the PNG LNG project’s downstream impacted villages in Central, general manager external affairs Imbi Tagune says.
He said this yesterday during the opening of duplex teachers hous at Papa Primary School and the handing over of dinghies to 17 clans.
Tagune said the total investment on community infrastructure projects such as upgrading of classrooms, building teachers’ houses and others, in Papa village was K2 million.
He said this included the teachers duplex housing, the 17 fully-kitted dinghies, and the cost of upgrading classrooms.
“We are also happy to inform you that our total investment under the community trust fund for Papa, Lea Lea, Porebada and Boera has added up to over K20 million,” he said.
“This is a programme that’s working well.”
Tagune appealed to the Central government, the Education and Health departments to partner with MRDC in delivering such projects to the communities.
“This way we make sure that we keep to the agreements we’ve signed in Kokopo in 2009 so no infrastructure is done on our own.
“Any infrastructure that we do must be in line with the agreements we’ve made to deliver to these communities and not done in isolation.”
Director for Papa Primary School, Solo Damena, while acknowledging the new teachers duplex, said accommodation had always been a challenge as they had teachers coming from as far as Sogeri.
The new duplex would accommodate four teachers.
Gas Resources PNG LNG Ltd chairman Ulato Avei said they had planned four years ago to develop the communities through education, health and economic empowerment and it had all come to fruition.