Landowners celebrate birth of new authority

LANDOWNERS of Komo, in Hela, are celebrating the recently established Hides Petroleum Development Licence (PDL) 7 Special Purpose Authority (SPA).
The SPA is the entity in which resource project levies and grants are paid into for the development of communities in impact areas. This was agreed on in the 2009 Universal Benefit Sharing Agreement.
This is a first in the country where a single local level government will have two SPAs, says Hela deputy governor Thomas Potape.
“The swearing in of the 10 SPA board members and the chairman took place last week after due process which took a few years,” Potape said.
“I have been pushing for this since day one because this will allow for funds that are sitting with the government to be accessed by the SPA to work with the provincial government and LLG to deliver development projects for the people of Komo in PDL 7.”
Hides PDL 7 SPA chairman Andy Hagama said the main objective was to develop a plan to work with the provincial and LLG.
“We will be working with the provincial government to make sure what we get from the Infrastructural Development Grants and other funds for the people of PDL 7 goes directly to improving the lives of people on the ground,” Hagama said.