The Afore Local Level Government (LLG) in Ijivitari District has officially launched its landmark Five-Year Development Plan (2027–2032). The comprehensive framework outlines critical community-identified priorities across all 18 wards of the LLG.
Oro Governor Gary Juffa officiated the launching ceremony, praising the people of Afore and their 18 ward councillors for collaborating with the Landscape Alliance to deliver the strategic roadmap. Governor Juffa described the grass-roots initiative as a historic first for Oro Province and a pioneering model for bottom-up planning across Papua New Guinea.
Spurred by the plan's clarity, Governor Juffa pledged to personally present the document to the National Government to secure Public Investment Programme (PIP) funding for its implementation. He also extended his gratitude to the Landscape Alliance team for their ongoing commitment to the region through the Managalas project.
The K12.5 million plan was constructed through an extensive eight-week planning exercise where ward councillors, recorders, and Ward Development Committee (WDC) members formulated individual Ward Activity Plans. These localized priorities were subsequently consolidated into the final LLG framework, ensuring all development mandates originate directly from the communities.
The training and implementation process was facilitated by PNG Trust, funded by the European Union (EU) through its Forestry, Climate Change and Biodiversity (EU-FCCB) Programme, and executed by the Landscape Alliance.
The 2027–2032 development framework addresses longstanding structural challenges through targeted interventions:
• Agriculture & Market Access: To support local cash crop, ginger, turmeric, kava, sago, and okari nut farmers facing poor road access and low market returns, the plan provisions for crop quality and marketing training, cooperative society support, and the establishment of community coffee mills, cocoa fermentaries, and rice mills.
• Healthcare Revitalization: To address remote wards lacking road connectivity and closed aid posts, proposed initiatives include training Village Birth Attendants and Health Volunteers, constructing health worker housing, introducing mobile medical units, and deploying a community ambulance for the Afore Health Centre.
• Education & Community Development: The plan prioritizes early childhood education and teacher training, alongside social programs including the annual Afore LLG Cultural Show and institutional support for Community Based Constables to boost law and order.
• Infrastructure Innovation: Highlighting sustainable rural engineering, the plan targets the construction of a mini-hydropower system at Numba (Ward 5), building upon the community’s self-reliant piped-water initiative.
The Afore LLG Development Plan sets a high benchmark as the first of its kind in Oro Province. The provincial government confirms that the remaining 10 LLGs are currently preparing to model their upcoming frameworks on this exact bottom-up methodology.
While the shared vision represents a major milestone, its ultimate success hinges on budget allocations, national PIP financing, and robust coordination with development partners to translate these grassroots blueprints into tangible structural improvements for rural families.
The launching ceremony concluded with key representations from provincial sector agencies, PNG Trust, the Ijivitari District Development Authority (DDA), the Landscape Alliance, and local LLG leaders.