James Marape Photo: Nathan McKinnon
The Papua New Guinea Prime Minister, James Marape, has called on Papua New Guineans to transform the country into a high-income economy.
He said when PNG turns 70 in 2045 it needs to have broken free of the constraints of being a low-income nation and to have fully embraced its future as a high-income, thriving economy.
Marape wants the people to work hard to shift the nation from exporting raw resources to becoming a manufacturer.
He said this will entail providing affordable and reliable electricity, accessible internet, and vital infrastructure
such as ports and jetties.
Marape said towns and cities will need to be redesigned, while the education system would need revamping to prepare people for industry-specific roles, and government would need to ensure health facilities are ready for such a transformation.
He said this won't happen overnight but the foundation must be laid now.
Marape said the government would divide the development into four critical phases of five years each.
"As Prime Minister, my role is to set the vision," he said.
"But it is the collective efforts of our people that will make it a reality. We must work together, harder than ever before, to build a better, more prosperous Papua New Guinea."