SHP committed, allocates K7mil for PNG Games

Sports

By JEFFREY ELAPA
THE Southern Highlands government is committed to hosting the 2020 PNG Games in November and has called on resource developers, Oil Search and ExxonMobil to partner in developing the province’s sporting infrastructure.
Governor William Powi said in Port Moresby yesterday that his government had allocated K7 million as initial funding to prepare the sporting faculties but needed the support of the developers’ help build the infrastructure.
He said K2 million from the K7 million had been released and the remaining K5 million would be released to the organising committee, led by chairman Sape Molume, by the end of the month.
Powi said the release of the funds indicated that the province was ready to host the Games. The Games will be held in Mendi, Nipa and Ialibu.
He said the national government, through the public Investment programme (PIP), had allocated K2 million on top of the provincial government’s K2 million.
“On top of the K4 million, the Southern Highlands government will release K5 million on top of what we have released by the end of the month,” Powi said.
“This is what we can commit to start the preparations. So on this note, I’m now asking Oil Search and ExxonMobil to help the Southern Highlands government rebuild the province and building sporting infrastructure so that I can host the grassroots games.
“It will bring about law and order, and serenity in Southern Highlands. We want to bring other Papua New Guinean to Southern Highlands to prove to them that we are not bad people.”