ANTHONY KAYBING
|Office of the ABG President
BUKA – Bougainville president Ishmael Toroama has welcomed the efforts by the Eivo-Torau Constituency to move past their differences and focus on the economic development of their land.
The president was witnessing the Eivo-Torau Constituency reconciliation ceremony at the Manetai Catholic Parish as the people settled their differences from the Bougainville Crisis of the 1990s.
This reconciliation will pave way for the redevelopment of the defunct Manetai limestone project in the constituency, which will have the support of the Bougainville government.
Toroama congratulated the people, landowners and leaders for taking the first necessary step to create economic opportunities in the area.
He said that the people, as resource owners, must take control of Bougainville’s political destiny through participating in the economic sector.
He gave an assurance that the rights of people as resource owners comes first which means the people must give their consent to any economic development project in Bougainville.
The president revealed that the government will launching its Lands Act this year, which will reflect the people of Bougainville’s aspirations as owners of land and resources and controllers of their own destiny.
The Lands Act will complement the government’s priorities for resource exploitation on Bougainville.
As part of President Toroama’s first 100-day Plan, facilitating economic recovery is high on the agenda.
The ABG is also considering other projects such as a special economic zone in Bana and the Tonolei project in Buin.