DoWH ONE OF THE MOST STRATEGIC & DEVELOPMENT CRITICAL PORTFOLIO; SECRETARY HOLEMBA

CAPTION: Works and Highways Department Secretary Mr Gibson Holemba.

BY MARTINA TAKANENG

WORKS and Highways Secretary Gibson Holemba highlights that DoWH Ministry carries one of the most strategic and development critical portfolios of the state.

He made these remarks when welcoming Minister Peter Tsiamalili Jnr as newly appointed Minister for Works and Highways yesterday, also stating that the department received the new appointed Minister not only as a political head but as a custodian of the country’s transport lifeline, economic corridors and infrastructure for the future.

Mr Holemba when giving an insight into the ministry says, the ministry is a one of the strategic and development portfolios in implementing and maintaining national infrastructures as roads, bridges, ports and airport access, wharfs.

He says these national infrastructures are not mere assets but instruments of nation building, for service delivery, unity, security and economic transformation.

Its constitutional mandate comes from the constitution of Papua New Guinea established under the Public Service Management Act.

Meantime, Mr Holemba also singled out that under various different policy frameworks such as the PNG Vision 2050, PNG Strategic Development Plan 2030, MTDP 4. Medium Term Transport Plan 3, National Network Strategy Plan 2018-2038, Connect PNG Program Policy, the road Maintenance Plan and the 13 year Budget recovery plan from treasury department, the ministry is entrusted to plan, develop, maintain, regulate and to safeguard PNG national roads and transport infrastructure in order to enable economic growth, service delivery, national integration and security of the state.