Simbu becomes 10th province to sign youth strategy plan
Simbu province has become the 10th province in the country to sign the Joint Inception and Implementation Plan under the National Youth Engagement Strategy 2025–2029, led by the National Youth Development Authority (NYDA).
The initiative was launched in August 2025 under the Ministry of Youth, Religion and Community Development, as part of the Marape-Rosso Government’s target to create one million jobs and opportunities for out-of-school and unemployed youth.
The program is guided by the theme “Putting Young People at the Center of Development.”
Director General of the National Youth Development Authority, Joe Itaki welcomed Simbu as the 10th province to formally adopt the strategy, calling it a major milestone for decentralized youth mobilization.
“Once Simbu’s youth are mobilized and registered through the new district-level databases, they will be directly slotted into agriculture, aquaculture, civil works, forestry, tourism, farming handicrafts, textile design and other areas of economic interest” Itaki said.
He said the joint implementation plans go beyond registration.
“We aim to establish formal District Youth Development Councils within the DDA structures. This ensures young citizens gain a legal legislative voice to influence local-level government decisions and participate directly in district planning,” he said.
Mr. Itaki added that NYDA is moving away from centralized city workshops.
“We are bringing the strategy straight into rural LLGs to capture school leavers and out-of-school young adults where they live.” he said.
Simbu Provincial Administrator, John Punde the said the program focuses on the group that will determine the future of the country.
“Preparing the next generation is always a challenge. But through such partnerships and programs we will be able to achieve positive outcomes,” Punde said.
He noted that because PNG is a rural-based country, reaching all citizens with government programs remains difficult.
“I commend the framework for using digital registration to connect young people with practical training and economic projects,” he added.
Mr. Punde also congratulated SinaSina Yongomugl district for being the first district in Simbu to pilot the project this year, and said he expects the other 5 districts in Simbu to join in from next year onwards.
Director of Hargy Oil Palms Limited, Robert Nilkare, gave strong support to the NYES 2025–2029, describing it as a practical framework to mobilize and prepare unemployed youth for the workforce.
“The immediate priority is to mobilize unemployed youth, systematically identify them, and build an organized database. Building this localized data resource is essential to successfully preparing young people for employment opportunities across all sectors in PNG,” Mr. Nilkare said.
He confirmed Hargy Oil Palms will be part of the drive by engaging youth in farms and plantations.
The NYDA socialisation program ran from 3rd to 6th August in Kundiawa with technical team presenting the insights and components of the new national framework to representatives from the province, district, NGO, Church and other stakeholders.