Jiwaka Province to revive Waghi-Mek plantation

Settlers living on the land of the rundown Waghi-Mek plantation in Jiwaka will now be required to voluntarily give up the land and move out.

This was the strong message that came out during a recent Waghi-Mek stakeholders meeting aimed at reviving the plantation for Jiwaka Province.

Simon Kaiwi, the Governor of Jiwaka, strongly warned all settlers that they must voluntarily vacate the land before an eviction notice is enforced.

Governor Kaiwi publicly stated before the stakeholders that the coffee plantation has been re-registered, and Jiwaka will now focus on revitalizing the economic hub of the province and the country.

"The history of the Waghi-Mek Plantation is behind us; today marks a new chapter for Jiwaka. We will ensure that this important business arm, which belongs to the government, will be operational once again", Mr Kaiwi said.

The Waghi-Mek plantation was established in 1976 while the Jiwaka Province was a district under Western Highlands province.

During that time, the shareholding arm, North Waghi, and South Waghi were Local Level Government constituents.

The North and South Waghi LLGs are now separate districts. As a result, stakeholders have agreed that the North and South Waghi districts will each receive a 50/50 share of the total proportions.

As the company is now registered, all operations will follow due process as an independent entity.