By Jack Lapauve Jr – EMTV News, Port Moresby
Non-Government Organisation and land advocate ‘ACT NOW PNG’ has launched a new campaign aimed at informing customary Papua New Guinea landowners of the significance of their land.
Campaign Coordinator, Eddie Tanago, says many times customary landowners are misled or are misinformed about their rights to their land. The campaign is titled ‘Celebrating and Defending Customary Land’.
Tanago says a range of awareness advertisements will be rolled out across all levels of society, to defend customary land. The campaign will be targeting the wider audience, especially customary landowners.
Mr. Tanago says a better-informed landowner will only decide how best land can be developed or preserved. The campaign will include television adverts, publications including reports, brochures, fact sheets, infographics, videos and posters. The NGO says it will need the support of other stakeholders to push the message to every community in the country.
According to ACT NOW, land is the most valuable resource, with an asset price of an estimated K40 billion. With SABL issues a tussle between different agencies and landowners in parts of the country, ACT NOW is campaigning to help defend customary land tenure.
The campaign was launched in Port Moresby this morning at Holiday Inn Hotel and was witnessed by the media, ACT NOW officers, the public and other NGO groups.
