Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has to- day commended Minister for Fisheries & Marine Resources, Hon. Jelta Wong for his role in mobilizing regional cooperation in the area of fisheries through the appointment of a Papua New Guinean to head the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (PIFFA).
Prime Minister Marape made the commendations as he declared his full support of the East New Britain Pacific Industrial Park initiative, the upcoming fisheries centre that his government is currently developing for the catching, processing and export of tuna for Papua New Guinea and if all goes according to plan member countries of the Pacific Islands Forum as well.
PM Marape said Minister Wong has shown exemplary leadership in driving the East New Britain initiative and recently, across the region in pushing for the appointment of Mr Noan Pakop to head PIFFA.
Pakop was recently appointed by the 23rd Forum Fisheries Committee Ministers in Honiara, Solomon Islands, and becomes the tenth Director General of the PIFFA. Since the establishment of PIFFA in 1979, no Papua New Guinean has held this position until now.
PM Marape said, “The recent appointment of Mr Pakop to the position of Director General of the Pacific Island Forum Fisheries Agency is one more feather in the cap of Minister Wong’s leadership in encompassing the vision of the region.
“I commend Minister Wong’s advocacy in getting a Papua New Guinean into this vital position on an important body such as the PIFFA. It is a strategic move that strengthens our vision to take fisheries development to the next level, especially in downstream processing of tuna for the Pacific in Papua New Guinea.
“Mr Pakop’s candidacy was endorsed by the National Executive Council and we are confident he will represent the region in a professional manner bringing to the fore his years of experience in the sector.” PM Marape added that the East New Britain Industrial Park initiative is an all encompassing platform providing opportunities in innovation and the development of transport, communications, customs, immigration, labour mobility, international trade besides fisheries and marine resources.
The initiative was endorsed at the 52nd Pacific Islands Forum as PIF members see the value of uniting in a singular, stronger voice to advocate for the development of the region’s marine resources; and again became a point of discussion in the recently-ended Japan-Pacific Islands Leaders’ Meeting in Tokyo, Japan.
“East New Britain was chosen because of the availability of Rabaul port and the social stability offered by the people of East New Britian.
“Fisheries is one of the better delivering sectors for our economy, and I com- mend Minister Wong for his leadership of the National Fisheries Authority and his interfacing of NFA with ENB Provincial Government to get this project off the ground.
“Domestically, the roadmap for Fisheries is clearly-defined and the alignment with the Medium-Term Development Plan 4 through the Fisheries Strategic Plan has PNG on course to achieve great milestones for the country.
“This project has a big potential to impact not just PNG but all the small island nations of the Pacific and become a catalyst for real economic empowerment for our people in the region.
“The small Island countries of the Pacific own huge marine resources but lose much of these, especially tuna, to outside countries because we continue to sell tuna in its raw form when we should be talking about processing our tuna onshore.
“I am proud of the ENB fisheries initiative and Minister Wong’s leadership and commend the National Fisheries Authority for its tireless efforts.
“I would like to encourage all relevant ministers to embrace the East New Britain Industrial Park Initiative and tap into its potential by working with the Ministry of Fisheries to expand it past marine resource development and into their areas of specialty such as transport, customs, labour mobility and others,” said Prime Minister Marape.