K3.7 million from New Zealand to support smallholder farmers

The New Zealand Government will provide K3.7 million over the next two and a half years to the Smallholder Support Services Expansion Project (SSSEP) in Papua New Guinea.

 

This joint project between New Zealand and the Government of PNG aims to help improve the quality of life for smallholder farmers and their families by increasing their access to agriculture support services and technical assistance through the National Department of Agriculture and Livestock.

 

“More than 80% of PNG’s population lives in rural areas and they largely rely on agriculture for their livelihoods,” New Zealand’s High Commissioner to PNG Niels Holm said today.

 

“Many small farmers have limited access to technical knowledge to improve their agricultural practices and engage in markets.

 

“The assistance that the SSSEP provides is aimed at addressing this issue and contributing to increased household income and standards of living.” 

 

“The SSSEP builds on a pilot project in Eastern Highlands and Morobe provinces.

 

“The majority of the funding comes from the Government of Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand’s funding will help extend the programme to the Central and Simbu provinces, institutionalise the project’s processes and systems, and support involvement by women in the scheme.

 

“Strengthening and expanding the project will ensure that it continues in the years to come and reaches more people in PNG,” Mr Holm said.

 

New Zealand works to support sustainable development in PNG, and contributes to improving service delivery in health and education, and improving livelihood opportunities for rural people. 

 

In addition to supporting the SSSEP, the NZAID programme supports a number of other economic development initiatives which focus on the rural population.

 

African graft fight blocked by continent's Capones

From PAUL OATES

What lessons can the people of Papua New Guinea learn from this article I wonder? Does anything in this article sound terribly familiar? What can stop this happening?

Mr Ribadu's quoted comments should be read by all as a classic example of why, without transparency and accountability, corruption spreads like the disease it is.

In the next PNG general elections, what chance is there for any change to occur? People should be asking now for potential politicians to start declaring what their code of ethics are and what they will do to stamp out corruption, if elected.

African graft fight blocked by continent's Capones

George Fominyen
Reuters
Friday, February 5, 2010

DAKAR (Reuters) - Africa's fight against corruption is being blocked by gangsters at every level of administrations and the campaign is doomed to fail unless presidents themselves spearhead the battle, a top campaigner said.

Nuhu Ribadu, who convicted over 300 corrupt officials and recovered over $5 billion while leading Nigeria's anti-graft drive until falling out with the current administration, said the continent's leadership was hypocritical in its approach.

"If you have an Al Capone as Head of State, an Al Capone as governor of the central bank and Al Capones in every other institution, how can one succeed?" Ribadu said, referring to the American gangster who ran crime syndicates for several decades.

"Unfortunately that is the situation in most African countries today," Ribadu said in a telephone interview from Washington, where he is living in exile and working as a fellow at the Center for Global Development think-tank.

African nations -- from Mauritania in the west, Cameroon in the centre and Kenya to the east -- have launched anti-corruption campaigns, often under pressure from donors who blame underdevelopment on rampant mismanagement.

But Ribadu said such campaigns were riddled with hypocrisy and, citing numerous reports of corruption in police forces and the judiciary, he said it was impossible to "fight corruption with corruption".

"I have arrested an Inspector General of Police, prosecuted him, convicted him and recovered $150 million from him," said Ribadu, who was widely praised while he led Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from 2003 to 2007.

"A leader of the Nigerian police force, a policeman with $150 million. For God's sake how can such a police ever deliver?" he added.

Global anti-corruption group Transparency International says the combination of abundant natural resources, a history of conflict and unaccountable governments mean corruption remains one of the biggest challenges on the world's poorest continent.

The responsibility, Ribadu said, lies at the very top.

"Unless you have a president who understands the need to clean up, stop this wastage and do it honestly and courageously nothing else would work," he said.

"Fighting corruption is an extremely dangerous task. As long as that political backing and that political support is not there, those who are going to do it on the ground are exposed to all sorts of danger; and they are not going to survive it."

Ribadu, 49, said top officials often tried to bribe him but he succeeded in his work because he had the direct backing of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

After surviving several assassination attempts Ribadu said he fled Nigeria to live "a horrible life in exile".

He fell out of favour following the highly contested elections which ushered in a new administration headed by current President Umaru Yar'Adua.

The best thing the international community can do, Ribadu said, was to support the continent's young democracies.

"My hope and prayer is that we would end up with a political leadership that will enable us (Africans) achieve results."

Remain vigilant: Yakasa

THE public has been reminded to remain vigilant while in their homes and in their movement around the city while police are carry out operations to recapture seven of the remaining most wanted criminal still on the run and the more than 40 escapees who broke for freedom during separate jail breaks from Bomana last year, The National reports.

National Capital District metropolitan commander Chief Supt Fred Yakasa yesterday issued the warning while commending the public for their assistance in the recapture of the five dangerous fugitives, including most wanted bank robber William Nanua Kapris. So far out of the 12 that escaped last month, four of whom were caught in the vicinity of the city in the past week since.

Oliver Ben was the first of the escapees to be caught. He was found in the hills near Sogeri on Jan 22.

When asked if police had any new and reliable leads to the whereabouts of suspects still on the run, Mr Yakasa said he could not comment more on the ongoing NCD police operations to hunt down remaining escapees.

Mr Yakasa referred The National to seek comments and the latest brief from NCD and Central province police commander chief Supt Awan Sete and NCD Police Operations commander Raphael Huafolo.

Attempts to get comments from both Mr Sete and Mr Huafolo were unsuccessful.

 

Australia approves 650 fruit pickers from Papua New Guinea

PNG among 2,500 Pacific Islanders to work on Aussie farms

 

THE Australian government has approved 650 fruit pickers from Papua New Guinea to work in farms in Australia this year, The National reports.

Australia foreign affairs minister Steven Smith, in his letter sent to his PNG couterpart Sam Abal last month, said the Papua New Guineans would be among the 2,500 Pacific Islanders allowed to work in farms in Australia.

Mr Abal told The National yesterday from Hoskins airport, East New Britain province, that a task force had been set up within his ministry to establish provincial coordinators who will work closely with the churches, police and community leaders to identify good, young energetic men and women to work in Australia.

“The recruitment will be conducted in all the 22 provinces in the country, including the new Jiwaka and Hela provinces.

“The provincial coordinators to be set up this year will be working closely with churches, police and community leaders to identify Grade 10 and 12 school leavers with good character and record, no criminal record, disciplined, law abiding and hard working citizens to go and work in Australia,” he said.

Mr Abal said: “We want good people to work and establish a good reputation to convince the Australians to recruit more Papua New Guineans.

“We cannot blindly send all the 650 workforce down because this is the number of people allowed by the Australian government but what is the demand of the farmers.

“This we have to find out first before the fruit pickers are sent to Australia.

“Those selected will go through some form of training before they are sent off to Australia.”

He said his department was responsible for the recruitment and that no else or agents were appointed to carry out the recruitment.

“When demand for fruit pickers is high, we will engage a private company to take charge of the whole operation after two years,” he said.

Mr Abal advised the people not to listen to private consultants, companies or individuals claiming to represent his office and collecting fees and promising them jobs in Australia.

 

Sex ring busted

Wewak police catch 20 women in the act

 

POLICE have busted a syndicate supplying young local and foreign women for prostitution near the Kaup Logging Company site in Angoram, East Sepik province.

A Wewak police team led by Provincial Police Commander Insp Charles Parinjo uncovered the syndicate in a raid on a house at the logging site over the weekend.

Police arrested nine women, all aged below 20, in compromising positions with the logging company workers.

The house is believed to have been used as a vice den.

Among the women held were two senior high school students in the province and a government officer from Port Moresby who was attached with the company to do clearance for logs.

Insp Parinjo said the women admitted during interrogation that they provided sexual favours to the foreigners and were paid between K200 and K800 per month.

The women were escorted to Wewak by police station on Monday where they are being investigated by police detectives.

Insp Parinjo said the female government officer was “deported” from Wewak the next day after her office in Port Moresby was notified of the offence she committed while staying at the site on official duty.

Insp Parinjo had also informed the relevant government agencies of the offence committed by the foreigners at the logging site and “we are pressuring them to deal with them diplomatically”.

Insp Parinjo said the successful raid confirmed suspicions by the public that locals and foreigners were providing sexual favors to foreigners for money.

“If this activity can happen in Kaup, it can also happen in other logging sites in East Sepik and nationwide,” he added.

 

Remain vigilant: Yakasa

THE public has been reminded to remain vigilant while in their homes and in their movement around the city while police are carry out operations to recapture seven of the remaining most wanted criminal still on the run and the more than 40 escapees who broke for freedom during separate jail breaks from Bomana last year, The National reports.

National Capital District metropolitan commander Chief Supt Fred Yakasa yesterday issued the warning while commending the public for their assistance in the recapture of the five dangerous fugitives, including most wanted bank robber William Nanua Kapris. So far out of the 12 that escaped last month, four of whom were caught in the vicinity of the city in the past week since.

Oliver Ben was the first of the escapees to be caught. He was found in the hills near Sogeri on Jan 22.

When asked if police had any new and reliable leads to the whereabouts of suspects still on the run, Mr Yakasa said he could not comment more on the ongoing NCD police operations to hunt down remaining escapees.

Mr Yakasa referred The National to seek comments and the latest brief from NCD and Central province police commander chief Supt Awan Sete and NCD Police Operations commander Raphael Huafolo.

Attempts to get comments from both Mr Sete and Mr Huafolo were unsuccessful.

 

Australia approves 650 fruit pickers from Papua New Guinea

PNG among 2,500 Pacific Islanders to work on Aussie farms

 

THE Australian government has approved 650 fruit pickers from Papua New Guinea to work in farms in Australia this year, The National reports.

Australia foreign affairs minister Steven Smith, in his letter sent to his PNG couterpart Sam Abal last month, said the Papua New Guineans would be among the 2,500 Pacific Islanders allowed to work in farms in Australia.

Mr Abal told The National yesterday from Hoskins airport, East New Britain province, that a task force had been set up within his ministry to establish provincial coordinators who will work closely with the churches, police and community leaders to identify good, young energetic men and women to work in Australia.

“The recruitment will be conducted in all the 22 provinces in the country, including the new Jiwaka and Hela provinces.

“The provincial coordinators to be set up this year will be working closely with churches, police and community leaders to identify Grade 10 and 12 school leavers with good character and record, no criminal record, disciplined, law abiding and hard working citizens to go and work in Australia,” he said.

Mr Abal said: “We want good people to work and establish a good reputation to convince the Australians to recruit more Papua New Guineans.

“We cannot blindly send all the 650 workforce down because this is the number of people allowed by the Australian government but what is the demand of the farmers.

“This we have to find out first before the fruit pickers are sent to Australia.

“Those selected will go through some form of training before they are sent off to Australia.”

He said his department was responsible for the recruitment and that no else or agents were appointed to carry out the recruitment.

“When demand for fruit pickers is high, we will engage a private company to take charge of the whole operation after two years,” he said.

Mr Abal advised the people not to listen to private consultants, companies or individuals claiming to represent his office and collecting fees and promising them jobs in Australia.