By Lillian Sopera Keneqa – EMTV News, Port Moresby
Over 20 participants have successfully completed a 5 month program in Project Management. This is the second cohort of USAID’s partnership with the University of the South Pacific on the Project Management Course.
It has been an intense 5 months of work, group efforts and presentations for these project managers. Although they received their certificate of participation in the coming months, they will be a certificate four graduate in project management from the University of the South Pacific.
This course is the 8th training course organised by the US Agency for International Development through its ‘Ready project’.
About 60 participants including members of Government, the private sector, and NGOs – have attended the course.
Deputy Chief of Mission, Bernard Link, in congratulating the participants said, “These resources are vital as you come up with local solutions to address challenges brought about by changing climate…”
Mr. Link explained that accessing resources is just one part of the solution in building climate resilience, however;
“To ensure that the available funding is best utilised and that the most vulnerable among us benefit, projects must be well managed and implemented. The right people with the right skills are needed if these projects are to deliver on their promised benefits,” he said.
SECTM Project Co-Ordinator of UPNG CORE, Karo Henao, a participant of the course, also explained that higher institutions and departments should have an integrated approach.
She said, “Combating climate change is not just the responsibility of the Environment Department (CEPA, CCDA), it’s also the health, the education department…this should be clear integration because when you come to sustainability, you need to have a holistic view when you are looking at a project.”
There are many opportunities throughout the region on skills and capacity building.
Mr. Link said, “We are hopeful that perhaps these things will migrate online so it won’t necessarily be confined to a particular workshop, in a particular city or place…”
