Hela administrator urges communities to release land for road development

Hela Provincial Administrator Marago Dagoba has called on landowners to release land freely to allow road and bridge development in the province.

Speaking to a large crowd in Tari Town last week, Dagoba said roads are one of the most important services needed before other basic services can reach rural communities. He said good road networks also help people travel easily to urban centres to access health, education and business services.

Dagoba made the comments after local residents asked the Hela Provincial Government to prioritise road development in 2026.

He said the provincial government and district development authorities are committed to building and upgrading roads, but progress is often delayed by land compensation demands.

“If people want roads and understand that roads will benefit their communities in the long run, they should give the land freely and allow the government to build these roads,” he said.

The administrator also urged communities living along road corridors to work together, resolve differences, and allow contractors to complete their work without interference.

Dagoba said Hela has fertile land and many people grow vegetables, but transporting produce to markets remains a challenge without good roads.

He encouraged people, especially those not doing any work, to return to their land and grow coffee and other crops.

“With the new Hela Unity Market, people should stop bringing vegetables from other provinces to resell. Many tribal conflicts have ended, and people now want to live peacefully and take part in farming,” he said.

Dagoba also called on unemployed youths to enrol in Technical Vocational Education and Training [TVET] centres, while school leavers were encouraged to upgrade their marks through Flexible Open Distance Education [FODE].

He said 2026 should be a year of peace, hard work and development in Hela.

“Hela is starting to experience peace. This year must be about agriculture, small and medium businesses, and church activities. The negative image others have of our people must change, and that change must begin in 2026,” he said.