Prime Minister and Treasurer Hon. James Marape has acknowledged the Gulf Provincial Government for trailblazing the National Government’s goal of providing electricity to at least 70 percent of the country’s population by 2030.

In a meeting held on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, Gulf Governor Hon. Chris Haiveta presented the 2024 Gulf Provincial and Local Level Government Budget to Prime Minister Marape. Governor Haiveta highlighted the significant progress made by the province in providing solar lighting for the entire population.

Prime Minister Marape commended the initiative, stating, “I want to acknowledge you, Governor, and your team for providing solar power to our people in Gulf Province, which caters for about 300,000 people. Given the country’s estimated total population of 12 million people, that’s about 3 percent of our population covered. We need other provinces to be able to do that so that we reach our goal of providing electricity to 70 percent of our country by the year 2030.”

Governor Haiveta emphasised the province’s commitment to ensuring access to electricity for its residents, stating, “We want to ensure that our people have lighting in and around their homes at night and school children can study under lights at night, as well as other essential need areas for electricity in the province. We are doing this from a Provincial Government perspective and not relying on the National Government for support.”

The Gulf Provincial Government presented a budget of K406 million, with over K195 million in National Government Grants, including allocations for the Kikori Road Project, Internal Revenue, and the roll-over from 2023.

Significantly, the Budget document outlines the Provincial Government’s decision to invest in various business opportunities created by the development activities in the province’s resources sector. These investments encompass air services, shipping services, properties market, agriculture, fisheries, oil and gas, and shares market.

A portion of K130 million from the Provincial Budget is allocated to the Development Budget, prioritising projects in roads and transport infrastructure, education, and Local Level Government (LLG) infrastructure.

Additionally, investments are earmarked for coffee, cocoa, rubber, and coconut cash crops value chain development programme in collaboration with commodity boards of the four cash crops.

Commerce, tourism, women, youth, and Churches are among the other areas covered in the Internal Revenue recurrent and development budget.

The Gulf Provincial Government’s proactive approach towards enhancing access to electricity underscores its commitment to improving the quality of life for its citizens and aligns with the national agenda of achieving widespread electrification by 2030.