ALL government ministries have recently conducted a reprioritization exercise under the Resource and Productive Sector.
This, according to Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, was taken in light of COVID-19.
Sogavare highlighted this in his national address last Friday.
He said under the reprioritization exercise, ministries are reallocating funds to identify priority areas and related projects.
“Where necessary some project activities will be postponed for next year,” he said.
Furthermore, Sogavare said ministries will retain a limited number of staff deemed necessary to implement their reprioritized priority projects.
“These priority projects are those that will result in quick economic returns, have a significant impact on the economy and national employment, and contributes significantly to rural employment to cater for the influx of urban dwellers that have repatriated back to their villages,” he added.
He said under both the resource and productive sectors, line ministries have made focused submissions toward the content of the economic stimulus package on areas relevant to their sub-sectors.
“This will mainly focus on boosting our productive and resource sectors in the areas of agriculture, fisheries, tourism, strengthening monitoring efforts on environmental, forestry and mining regulations as well as assistance packages to Small- Medium Enterprises,” he said.
Furthermore, he said the national development projects fully funded by the national government through the 2020 development budget are still progressing well while some projects partly funded by our bilateral friends have been put on halt.
By IAN M.KAUKUI
