Ahi people urged to get into business

From MALUM NALU in Lae

The Ahi people, traditional landowners of Lae, have been urged to stop being passive observers in the city and to get into business.

Morobe Governor and son of Ahi, Kelly Naru, made the call when officiating at the opening of the Ahi Festival at the Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium in Lae on Thursday.

Riback Stevedores container yard at the old Lae Airport on Thursday. Riback is part-owned by the Ahi people and is their single biggest employer.-Picture by MALUM NALU

“We are poor people,” he said.

“How many Ahi people own PMVs, taxis and stores in Lae?

“We are spectators to people from other provinces.

“Are we going to sit back and let this go on forever?

“Enough is enough.”

Naru said to encourage Ahi people and other Morobeans to go into business, then Morobe provincial government would be injecting a sizable amount of money to the National Development Bank, to be made available to people from the province.

“You will need to be capitalised to get into business,” he said.

“A significant amount of money will be poured into the National Development Bank, with details to be made available when we hand down the 2013 provincial budget next week.

“This is a golden opportunity of a lifetime.

“I want to see Morobeans participating full is small and medium enterprises in the city.”

Naru said that to encourage Morobeans to get into the land transport business, they would be given 60% of all land transport licenses as of 2013