Transport launches 5 year corporate plan

Caption:  (L) Secretary Mumu handing over the corporate plan to Minister Duban.

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, July 10, 2016 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

THE Department of Transport has launched its five year corporate plan from 2016 to 2020.

Present to launch the plan Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Nixon Duban praised the Department under the leadership of Department Secretary Roy Mumu along with the management, line agencies, and development partners.

He also highlighted the challenges the country faces in the transport sector due to its geographical nature.

“We live in country that is about 500,000 square kilometers consisting of islands and atolls and all our areas covered in forest and terrain and the dividing ranges of the Owen Stanley ranges makes the development of the transport system very difficult,” Minister Duban said.

“With the challenges and at this time our country is going through a lot of economic challenges because of the global recession we are faced with very important challenges that when we do not have enough resources but our commitment must never change.”

“I want to assure the department and all stakeholders that this is a key department that carries a very important function that must be guided by very strategic plans.”

He told those present of their role to implement policy directions that he and the National Government needed from them.

“My job is to provide policy oversight to provide policy directions and policy debates and to provide challenges to technocrats, bureaucrats so that they must develop directions for the future of our country.”

“I am very impressed this afternoon, I have been minister for a very short time and to see this department develop its policies and strategies, especially the National Transport Strategy and Transport Plan all important to ensure that people are connected to the markets, to ensure that services are delivered to all parts of our country.”

“I am a satisfied minister and have every confidence in the leadership of our Secretary I amconfident in our development partners to ensure we have a transport system that is sustainable, affordable, and can carry the challenges of managing transport in our country into the future,” Duban added.

Secretary Mumu explained the plan and its predecessor the 2010 to 2015 Corporate Plan which he said was not developed fully in line with the National Transport Strategy, which was developed around the same time.

“The most recent plan 2010 to 2015 was developed at the start of the National Transport Strategy (NTS) so this corporate plan now will fully align with the NTS.”

“The difference with this one is that we have identified that each division will perform throughout the period of the corporate plan in Aviation, Maritime and Transport Policies and the interventions that we are participating in like APEC 2018 or our international obligations.”

“So when we participate in APEC committees like APEC Transport Working Group it is all consistent with the plan. Things may change as it is a living document but at as the title states that the line of sight is maintained.”