Lack of roads a problem for Kabwum

THE lack of roads in Kabwum is standing in the way of people using their natural resources to be part of economic development, says Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources Patrick Basa.
He said 92 per cent of the people of Kabwum in Morobe are not linked by road.
The Kabwum District Development Authority dissolved the district works unit because of outstanding debts owed to service providers.
Machinery have been given to local level governments. Selepet, Komba and Yus got a bulldozer each, Deyamos got a bulldozer and excavator and the district administration got a grader, roller and backhoe.
Basa said building roads within each LLG to link the district headquarters and reach Lae would minimise airfreight costs.
Basa said two priority roads under construction were the Bangut-Satwag and Bit-Yalumet, while Songin-Yalumet and Ronzi-Bungawat were awaiting construction.
The Kabwum-Lae (Iloko-Hobu) is pending feasibility studies while the Gwama Bridge linking Komba will be completed soon.
Basa said education was also given priority, with Yus High School at Bungawat Station, Deyamos at Yalumet, Komba at Konge and Selepet at Kabwum station getting help.
Kabwum High School at Derim has been upgraded to secondary level with its first grade 11 enrolment this year.
Similarly, Kabwum Health Centre will be upgraded to a grade 4 district hospital, costing K25 million, for which Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has allocated K5 million.