New road ends 51 years of isolation in Bua settlement

For more than five decades, 36 residents of Naqamekaka Settlement in Bua carried the sick on their backs, watched children miss school during heavy rain and trudged along a narrow, muddy path to reach transport.

That changed last Friday when the Naqamekaka Community Access Road was commissioned by the Minister for Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management, Mosese Bulitavu.

For the first time in the settlement’s 51-year history, vehicles can now access the community directly.

Settlement leader Laisiasa Taukena said reaching the main road used to take at least 15 minutes on foot, longer during wet weather.

“When it rained, it would take us even longer than 15 minutes to get to and from our homes,” Taukena said.

“On wet days, our children would miss school because the path was unsafe. We worried constantly about their safety. If someone fell sick, we had to carry them on our backs to reach transport. Those were the struggles faced by our forefathers.”

With the completion of the access road, vehicles can now reach residents’ doorsteps, improving mobility and safety.

“Now we can catch a vehicle right from our homes. We are very thankful and grateful to Government for stepping in to help us,” Taukena said.

The project was implemented under the Ministry’s Community Access Roads, Footpaths and Footbridges (CARFF) Programme at a cost of about $40,000.

Beyond easing movement, the road is expected to create economic opportunities. With delivery vehicles now able to enter the settlement, residents plan to open a community canteen to generate income and support household livelihoods.

Farmers will have easier access to markets, students can travel to school more consistently and families can reach medical services without delay.

Bulitavu said rural infrastructure development remained a priority for Government.

“This road is about restoring dignity and creating opportunity. No community should be left behind simply because of where they live,” he said.

For Naqamekaka residents, the new road represents more than infrastructure. It signals safer travel, improved access to essential services and renewed hope for future generations.