By JOE GURINA
GOILALA is the first district in the country to pilot the Community Development Initiative Program aimed at empowering and improving lives at the ward and community level.
The program is currently being piloted at Tapini rural government station, and attracts 78 participants, undergoing training under the Community Driven Development Awareness and Community Project Implementation and Operations Training.
The acting provincial administrator of Central, Mr Magini Raga officially opened the training on behalf of the madam Governor last Friday (21/08/26).
The training is facilitated by trainers from the Central province administration.
According to training facilitator John Alesana, the program was once under the Rural Service Delivery Program (RSDP) under the Department of Provincial and Local Level Government, however functions have been transferred to all provincial governments to implement.
He said the program has been institutionalised in all provincial governments, as such, through the leadership of the madam Governor, ” we are piloting the program here in Tapini, which is the first in the country.”
He said the program is designed into a bottom up planning approach, whereby training is given to participants, whilst they return to their respective wards, communities will decide on what type of project to decide for their community.
Mr Raga commended the Governor in having the program initiated at Tapini to boost confidence to the local community through the concept implied to them.
The program will be rolled out to Woitape LLG and followed by other districts in the province.
The occasion was attended by Provincial LGG advisor Guma Tau, Provincial Disaster Advisor Tumai Ipou and Provincial Community Development Advisor Michael Peter.