NYES ADVANCES TO NEXT LEVEL IN NEW IRELAND

THE National Youth Development Authority (NYDA) has taken another important step in implementing the National Youth Engagement Strategy (NYES) 2025–2029 in New Ireland Province following a four-day Agriculture and Commodity Sector Consultation held in Kavieng from 8–11 September 2026.

The consultation brought together the New Ireland Provincial Administration, Cocoa Board, KIK, OPIC, National Fisheries College, Division of Commerce, Department of Primary Industry, Division of Community Development, New Ireland Provincial Tourism Office, Kavieng and Namatanai District Administrations, GGGI and NYDA, among other partners.

A key focus was how registered disengaged youths can be connected to real opportunities across agriculture, commodities, fisheries, tourism, commerce and other sectors.

775 youths have registered under NYES in New Ireland, with 574 identified as the first cohort for referral and engagement by December 2026. The first three model LLGs are: Kavieng Urban LLG, Tikana Rural LLG, Namatanai Rural LLG.

A major outcome of the consultation was the signing of a Work Action Plan by participating sector and commodity agencies, committing them to work together to connect registered youths with relevant programmes, schemes and opportunities.

OPIC has already demonstrated what this pathway can achieve. Following earlier NYES socialisation, Poliamba Estate Project Manager Mr Alex Keri reported production growth from approximately 1,000 metric tonnes to 2,000 metric tonnes per month.

The consultation also highlighted youth participation in Panamana, Tikana LLG, where young people are increasingly moving towards self-reliance while taking part in church, sports and community activities through the NYES Character Building framework.

New Ireland continues to show strong provincial ownership of NYES and is currently the only one of the ten NYES provinces socialised to have a Provincial Executive Council-endorsed decision, including a K1 million allocation shared between the two districts.

Speaking on behalf of the Acting Provincial Administrator, Mr Dennis Kosam, Mr Apelis, Chief Executive Officer for Social Services, said, “Our young people are not the future — they are the present.”

He called on stakeholders to move from policy to implementation, from consultation to action, and from promises to opportunities.

For NYDA, the message is clear: registration is only the beginning. The priority now is to move young people from registration to referral, referral to engagement, and engagement to measurable outcomes.

The NYDA acknowledges the strong leadership of the New Ireland Provincial Government and Provincial Administration, participating sector agencies, district and LLG administrations, development partners and, most importantly, the young people of New Ireland.