President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali outlined a number of bold plans for Region One, focusing on initiatives to further reduce costs for families, creating even more new job opportunities, and tackling long-standing challenges in communities like Baramita.
Speaking to an enthusiastic public meeting at the Fitzburg Recreational Ground in Port Kaituma on Saturday, the president said the PPP/C Government is committed to reducing the cost of living for hinterland families and putting more resources directly into their hands.
Starting in November, small loggers and miners will not have to pay the toll at Four Miles, allowing them to move their equipment, vehicles, and goods for free.
In addition, a weekly ferry service to Region One is set to be introduced within a year, a move that will cut transportation expenses and make it easier to move goods and people between the region and the coastland.
The head of state also confirmed that new markets, wharves, micro water-treatment plants, and family-oriented spaces will be built to match the services available in coastal towns. These investments, he said, will bring a better quality of life to every village.
“We know that …you have to pay high transportation costs [and] that is why the government will be working with the private sector, and we will be making investments to bring down the cost of transportation so that the [cost of] goods and services will be reduced,” he announced.
The government will focus on Baramita by working with churches and community groups on literacy programs, social support, better land access, and a plan to reduce poverty. This will involve better roads, food security efforts, and small projects that provide direct income to families.
“We have to do a lot of social work in Baramita,” President Ali stressed. “It is about lifting up families, building skills, and making sure that women and children have the opportunities they deserve.”
President Ali pledged to train and equip Community Service Officers (CSOs) and residents, helping them start and manage their own businesses in logging, farming, and mining, so they can become entrepreneurs rather than just employees.
“We are going to empower them to work in the mining industry…not…as labourers…but by owning equipment, owning tools and owning businesses — That is what we are about,” he told the gathering.
Clarifying that the PPP/C’s vision for the next five years is not based on one-off grants, instead, he said, it is about building an economy where people can prosper through opportunities.
From secondary schools with dormitories, new landing strips, to the delivery of major government services into the sub-regions, the president said every village in Region One now has a clear development plan that will become evident in the coming years.
“Every village in the Matakai sub-region, I can assure you that in the next five years, you will have better services, better water, better education and better health.”
