NCDC gives 15 boats

Caption:   Governor Parkop (centre) standing amongst recipients of the boat units

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, January 19, 2014 (Sunday Chronicle)

THE National Capital District Commission continued its efforts to boost the economic growth of its citizens last week with the presentation of 15 boat units last week to selected groups, at Ela Motors in Badili, Port Moresby.

Running since 2008 the initiative has seen boat units, equipped with outboard motors, being given to indigenous residents of Motu-Koita who live along the shoreline of the nation’s capital.

With funding delays hampering last year’s delivery of boats, the commission moved the delivery and selected recipients to receive their boats this year.

“This presentation is for last year when we were supposed to hand them out under PSIP (Provincial Support Infrastructure Program) regulations and guidelines, which are very tight and strict.”

“So accessing funds has been a difficulty for us, but I am happy that today it is happening in the new year,” NCD Governor Powes Parkop said.

“Mainly Motuans and recently now Koitabuans and other communities in our city can have a means by which they could explore the possibility of participating in fisheries and generating an income for them in a small way.”

He said the initiative would start them off to save money and hopefully get into bigger business in the future.

“As I have said one of the programs I have initiated is to build the Motu-Koita economy by helping people to set up business in their local communities to eventually come out and participate in the bigger city economy, and this is part of that plan.”

At the cost of K285,000, Governor Parkop, encouraged all 15 beneficiary groups to use the boats for their intended purpose, as he announced a review of the program also after reports of units being sold or misused.      

“Let me say this to that over the last five years, I am not really sure if this scheme is working.”

“Some of the beneficiaries of the scheme have gone out and started fishing and bringing them into the city, others I suspect that they are probably doing other things, even to the extent where they are selling the dinghies.”

“These are some of the issues with the program we have been faced with over the last few years.”

He was, however, optimistic of those receiving the units and congratulated them on their selection revealing that some were not indigenous members of the city, but were contributors to the city economy nonetheless.

“Today I want to congratulate the recipients- all 15 of them- some are really not Motu-Koitabuans, like one here who is from Fisherman Island.”

“We have given him a dinghy because they provide fish to the city, and irrespective of whether they are indigenous people, but they provide supply to the city.”

He said that with new fish market that is going to be built over sea past Koki Point- he hoped it would only encourage more of the local people to take up fishing.

Speaking on behalf of the recipients, Reverend Pago Morea thanked the governor and Ela 

Motors for the initiative, saying that it would help boost the economy, providing an income for both immediate and extended family groups to benefit from.