TELEFOMIN DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY presented its 2021 & 2022 DSIP Acquittals to the Department of Implementation and Rural Development in Port Moresby today, Wednesday March 13, 2024.
Minister for Works and Highways and Member for Telefomin Hon. Solan Mirisim officiated the presentation in the presence of DIRD Secretary Mr. Aihi Vaki.
Mr. Mirisim says acquitting public funds is a very important government practice.
“Every District and Province in PNG must acquit public funds for the sake of transparency and accountability.
“These funds must be transferred directly to the people in terms of basic service delivery to improve their lives and contribute to the development of our beautiful country.
“For us Telefomin DDA, we have been up to date in providing our reports on time and on this occasion, I want to commend our district finance team and DIRD officers who have been working in collaboration to ensure we submit our DSIP acquittals on time.”
Mr. Mirisim said since he took office in 2012, Telefomin DDA under his leadership have been delivering many impact projects to all his four (4) Local Level Government wards. These projects a funded by the DSIP and sometimes through counter-funded from the GoPNG, PSIP and many other donors.
“When projects are funded using DSIP as responsible leaders we need to acquit these funds to the DIRD office.
At no one time my DDA have failed to submit our acquittals on time. My district finance team have been up to date in submitting acquittals every year.
Today we will be presenting to the office of the Department Implementation and Rural Development the Telefomin DDA 2021 & 2022 DSIP Acquittals.”
He further said that Telefomin is one of the isolated and remote districts in PNG.
“My district is a landlock district between Western Province, Vanimo Green in West Sepik, East Sepik, Koroba Lake Kopiago in Hela and border West Papua province in indonesia and is only accessible by air.
“Delivering of basic government services especially classrooms & teachers houses, aidpost & staff houses, LLG office, water supply, communication towers, etc… are by air.
“Most of our funds are exausted on air transport. For example, the cost of delivering a classroom is much more expensive than cost of buying the materials to build a classoom.
“However, my people are resilient and hardworking and we are blessed with abundance of natural flora and fauna that continue to kept us going.
“Today we will present to your office the 2021 & 2022 dsip aquitalls.
“For the year 2023 we are yet to expand some of the funds to most of our ongoing projects therefore we will not be able to present to your today, but we will do it in due course.
“In saying that let me on behalf of the people of Telefomin I commend your department for keeping us on check and balance to be accountable and transparent on how we expend public funds.”
