Lufa DDA and Rural Airstrip Agency signed over a million-kina agreement

Lufa District in Eastern Highlands Province has partnered the Rural Airstrip Agency [RAA] to improve air services into remote parts of the district.

The Lufa District Development Authority [DDA] signed a Memorandum of Agreement [for five years] to seal the deal with a joint funding of K518, 000 to RAA to commence work.

This amount [K518, 000] is from the Lufa DDA component and this will be matched by the RAA on a Kina-for-Kina counter agency funding arrangement.

The airstrips to undergo maintenance and restoration include Guasa, Herowana, Kora, Maimafu, Mengino and Ubagubi.

Lufa MP Simo Kilepa said this is an opportunity to give access to people while road works are established to its remote parts especially to Unavi LLG.

“Now we see that rehabilitating all the current airstrips not operational is one of our priorities now so that people can have easy access to transport their goods and services and equally participate in economic opportunities outside.

“We thank RAA for giving us this opportunity to partner under the program of ‘Kina-for-kina’ and at least our DDA has to come up with our component of the fund.

“And now we wait for at least their feedback from RAA and their component of the other arm of the funds. So at least we can go and rehabilitate all the airstrips that we do not have,” Kilepa said.

This arrangement is the way forward for the people especially in the rural areas as it will unleash their potential in accessing basic services.