Madang creates plans for wards

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Tuesday 24th January 2012

By JAYNE SAFIHAO
MADANG is the first province to trial and implement processes involved in putting in place a ward development plan.
The two-week workshop, which began last week with classes at 7pm, is being conducted by the provincial planning office and is sponsored for K1.5 million by AusAID under the Strongim Pipol, Strongim Nesen programme.
The Madang provincial government has invested K300,000 to aid the completion of the project, which will begin with theory and site visitations, using Riwo village as the pilot village.
Team leader and Bogia man, David Turik is the man behind the first pilot project in Bogia.
He said the three LLGs in Bogia – Yabu, Yawar and Almami – were the first among in the province to undertake the project.
Other LLGs undertaking the project are Lelemadi in Manus; Keram in Angoram; Boiken in Wewak and Dagua, Siwai in the Autonomous Region of Bougainvillle and NCD.
“Most of us have trialled it in other provinces in 2010 and in 2011 in NCD as trainers of trainers so that they in turn can train their ward councillors, village recorders and the likes in the villages,” Turik said.
“The most important thing is to collect detailed information in order to know the needs of a ward.”
He said that would enable council presidents to have an LLG development plan for the first time.
“This data collation will enable planners at the wards, LLGs, districts and provinces to have a clearer vision of planning themselves when requesting for projects or funding.
“MPs can know exactly how much to give and it saves time and cost for the census and electoral processes that spend big budgets in something like data that will now be readily available with this exercise,” he said.
Turik and other trainers were thankful for the attendance by officers from the six districts and praised administrator Lawrence Pitor for being present for all sessions. 
Provincial administrator Ben Lange attended only one session for a short while.
Participants were critical, saying that as the head of the province he should be interested to know the details of the ward development plan as Madang was now the pilot province for the exercise.