JAMES APA GUMUNO
Governor Wai Rapa accompanied by provincial administrator Joseph Mangbil, and his provincial executive council members presented the budget to Prime Minister James Marape recently in Port Moresby.
Minister for State Owned Enterprises and Member for Hagen Open William Duma was also present to witness the occasion.
After the presentation, Rapa and his team went to Department of Implementation and Rural Development office and submitted their 2023 acquittals.
Marape who is also the Treasury Minister accepted the budget and commended Governor Rapa and his team for the well documented 2024 provincial budget.
He said that it was a well-planned budget for the province and that Western highlands is an important province as it sits in the central location of the country.
Marape said the province provided important government services to the entire Highlands provinces.
Governor Rapa added that his government is now focusing more on Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) to create more space.
Rapa said that he wants to ensure school leavers roaming around in the villages and on the streets of Mount Hagen city attend TVET schools.
He said TVET provides life skills training for youths to sustain their own living back in their communities.
“I want to cut down the number of school leavers and give them second chance in life,” he said.
Rapa said education is one of the top priorities of the Government and he has also taken on board as one of the top priorities for his province.
“Apart from other developments, my government will give more attention to education,” he said.
He said that law and order is another pressing issue where his government also investigated it
From this K375.8 million budget, K5 million is for law and order alone.
Rapa added that due to influx of people running away from tribal fights and come settled in his province, he wants to ensure that there is order at all times.
“I don’t want problems, everyone living in the province must respect one another and maintain order,” he said.
He urged people not to bring problems from other provinces into the province.
Prime Minister James Marape, middle, on his right is Governor Wai Rapa, and Minister William Duma with PEC members after presenting K375.8 million budget at the Manasupe Haus. – Picture supplied
