Treasury has approved the Manus Provincial Government Budget of K180,594,462, presented last week to Prime Minister James Marape on Wednesday 31st January 2024.
Prime Minister Marape said the Manus provincial budget, and the budgets of Enga, New Ireland Province and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville have been approved recently.
At the end of last week, Governor for Manus Charlie Benjamin presented the K180,594,462 money plan, including the Manus District Development Authority Budget and budgets for his 12 local level governments to the Prime Minister to comply with Section 105A of the Organic Law on Provincial and Local Level Government.
Governor Benjamin said he was thankful to the Prime Minister and the National Government for the 2024 Budget allocation of Service Improvement Program grants and Functional grants to his province, including infrastructure funding under the Connect PNG Program for the Manus highway.
Forty (40) percent of the budget is earmarked for the development of infrastructure and related programs as stimulus for economic growth of the island province.
Key expenditure is as follows: – Infrastructure – K54.4 million (30%), Economic – K17.2 million (10%), Education – K35.4 million (20%), Health – K5.5 million (3%) while Personnel Emolument and Administration together totaled just over K52 million. For the 2024 PSIP plan, Education takes the biggest slice of K3million at 30 percent, Economic programs next at K2.7million or 27 percent, Infrastructure at K2million (20%) and Administration at K1 million (10%). For the 2024 DSIP, Education again holds the lead at K6 million (60%), and everything else – Administration, Health, Law & Order, Church Projects – at K1million each (10% each).
The 2024 Special Support Grant break up is as follows: Economic K4million at 40 percent; Education and Transport each at K2 million (20%); and Infrastructure (Buildings) and Law & Order each at K1 million (10%).
Manus Province is placing emphasis on the development of its revenue sources and the creation of a Special Economic Zone as the main strategy to generating more revenue between now and 2030.
Prime Minister Marape acknowledged Governor Benjamin and the Manus Provincial Government for being among the first province to present their budget, while affirming National Government commitments to assist fund shared responsibilities such as infrastructure, the provincial hospital and technical colleges.
