PM: Government keen to help youths

 THE Papua New Guinea government is keen to support the rights of youths, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill says. 

O’Neill made the remark on Tuesday evening at the opening of the Commonwealth Youth Ministers’ meeting in Port Moresby.

He said with the growing demand to empower youths, the government had already implemented the first part its free education policy. 

It will also strengthen medium business development for young people and urgently rebuild and grow the agricultural sector to provide job opportunities for young people. 

“My government is implementing a wide ranging 12-point plan to develop the small and medium enterprise sector owned by our own people, especially our young people,” he said. 

“The programme is backed up by substantial government funding to ensure our small to medium business sector grow rapidly and is broadly based. 

“If we achieve that, then we will be able to make an impact on unemployment and provide opportunity for young men and women. 

“The government has to urgently rebuild and grow the agricultural sector because it is what the majority of the people rely on, including the young people who are the future leaders of the country. 

“Education for young people is also an important challenge and responsibility the PNG government is facing to address the rapidly growing number of school age children that are without formal education,” O’Neill said. 

He also deliberated on the importance of political stability which he said the government has recognised as the vehicle to drive or empower youth development.