National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop has announced that a Youth Expo will be held in Port Moresby on Friday (today) and Saturday (tomorrow) as part of activities marking International Youth Day.
He announced the event during a media conference held earlier this week at the Sir Hubert Murray Stadium, Port Moresby.
The joint media conference was hosted by NCDC, led by Chairman and Governor Parkop, together with National Youth Development Authority Director General Joe Itaki.
Representatives from the Active City Development Program, United Nations, City Warden, Amazing Port Moresby, Labor Mobility PNG, Pacific Industries and POM City Watch also attended.
The theme for the NCD Youth Expo and Walk is “Youth Empowerment for a Sustainable Future.”
The two-day Youth Expo and Youth Walk are part of activities marking the country’s 50th Anniversary celebrations.
Speaking at the media conference, Governor Parkop said the event would bring together young people, government agencies, development partners, NGOs, faith-based organizations and other stakeholders to showcase opportunities available to young people in the city.
“Our young people are our hope and dreams for the future,” Governor Parkop said, calling on parents, government agencies, development partners, and faith-based organizations to support the initiative.
He said the theme of this year’s International Youth Day, saying it focused on raising awareness of cultural and other issues affecting young people, highlighting the challenges they face and celebrating their role as partners in global society and sustainable development.
Mr. Parkop said the core themes included cultural, economic, and legal barriers facing youth, education, employment, mental well-being, the potential of young people, and meaningful youth involvement in civic activity, democratic processes, and decision-making.
He said the Youth Expo was important because of the significant proportion of Papua New Guinea’s population made up of young people.
In a recent census, he said that out of more than 10 million people, 5.8 million were below the age of 30, representing about 57 percent of the population. Of this population, 4.35 million were under 18.
“About 60 percent of our population are below 30, between 14 and 30. That’s a very significant population,” he said.
Governor Parkop said young people were thinking about their current situation and future, including employment, education, university, technical skills, creative abilities, skills, and talents.
He said being young was both an interesting and challenging time, as young people grew up and learned to find their own pathways while facing social, cultural, economic, and legal challenges.
“It’s a time in which society as a whole, and in this case our country and our city, should be reaching out to our young people to help them,” he said.
Governor Parkop said the next 50 years belonged to the current generation of young people and that leaders had a responsibility to create pathways and platforms for them to take their place in their respective districts and provinces and contribute to the national outcome.
He highlighted several NCDC initiatives aimed at supporting young people, including the Active City Development Program, Vipers sponsorship, annual NCD Governor’s Cup, TVET and School Fee Assistance program, scholarships, the Urban Youth Employment Program in partnership with the National Government and other partners, City Warden, POM City Watch, and an SME program in partnership.
He said nearly 80,000 scholarships had been provided to young people since 2010.
The NCDC, he said, is also working with police and communities through initiatives such as Neighborhood Watch, while the Youth Desk and Sport Desk are working to encourage young people to participate in sports.
Governor Parkop said the NCD Games would be launched this year and would develop towards the end of the year, culminating in the Governor’s Cup.
He also highlighted the growing influence of digital technology and artificial intelligence, saying young people were increasingly using mobile phones, games, and various forms of media.
He said the NCDC was exploring initiatives in the digital space to provide positive pathways for young people.
Governor Parkop said the Youth Expo would provide an opportunity to showcase what was available in the city and what was being done for young people while encouraging young people to participate.
He acknowledged the National Youth Development Authority and its National Youth Engagement Strategy 2025–2029, launched last year, saying NCD wanted to partner with the authority at the national level to implement the policy.
Governor Parkop urged all stakeholders to attend and support the Youth Expo.
“Let’s have a great day to give support to our young people and show them our moral and real substance of support and have a great day to celebrate young people in our city and our country.”
National Youth Development Authority Director General Joe Itaki has called on provincial, district, and local-level leaders to take greater ownership of youth issues and consider adapting successful youth initiatives being implemented in the National Capital District
Mr. Itaki said NCDC’s experience demonstrated that youth programs could be developed and implemented at the local level and potentially replicated elsewhere.
He said Port Moresby was a metropolitan city where people from different parts of Papua New Guinea lived, making it an important setting for observing developments in the youth sector.