THE Gazelle Restoration Authority (GRA) in East New Britain will officially wind down operations at the end of this year.
This follows advice from the State Solicitor dated 20th September 2020, that the functions of GRA expired in 2010 following the Implementation Completion Report (ICR) of the Medium Term Restoration Program (MTRP).
The state solicitor’s advice is that the GRA’s functions have been completed, it cannot be re-assigned under the GRA act to facilitate procurement for natural disasters through ENB and PNG.
Governor Nakikus Konga announced this during the provincial assembly meeting last week in Kokopo.
GRA has a proven record in the international community for implementing donor funding programmes and partnership with the ENB provincial administration in impact projects in the province.
GRA was established on the 7th February 1995 by the National Government through the passing of the GRA Act 1995 to act as the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) to manage government and donor funded restoration works in the Gazelle Peninsula following the 1994 twin volcanic eruption.
In 2010 following the delivery of the Implementation Completion Report (ICR), the National government and donor agencies ceased providing funds to GRA. The ENB Provincial Government then made a decision to retain GRA as its implementing agent and have been allocating administration support grants to GRA since then.
GRA MTRP commenced in 2000 and ended in 2010 and later on introduced its Long Term Restoration Program (LTRP) for their second project which focus on strengthening and diversifying economic activities by integrating GRA into ENBPG.
Following the above GRA had scaled down its operations and manpower and following the decision by the ENBPEC to retain GRA, GRA has been implementing projects for the ENBPG four districts and have completed many projects.
With the decision to officially cease GRA, a new arrangement is chartered forward to ensure an entity continues to implement government projects for the benefit of the ENBPG and ENBPA and its people.
Governor Konga said GRA is in preparation for its closure and will shortly commence auditing its 2019 and 2020 books, 2011-2015 annual audits, GRA’s soils laboratory relocation, assets register, official project closure and GRA closure report.
Governor Konga endorsed the decision for GRA to cease operations on December 31, 2021, approves payment of any liabilities carried over in to 2022, direct the ENBPA to prepare GRA closure report covering period 2011-2021 for endorsement sanctioning and submission to DPLGA by June 2022 and direct the ENBPA to make preparations for the official cessation of GRA’s operations in December 2021 and a smooth transition into the new entity.