Theonila Roka Matbob

Theonila Roka Matbob
Matbob in 2019
Minister of Education
Incumbent
Assumed office
2 October 2020
PresidentIshmael Toroama
Member of the Bougainville House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office
2020
Preceded byMichael Lapolela
ConstituencyIoro
Personal details
Born1990 (age 35–36)

Theonila Roka Matbob (born 1990)[1] is a Bougainvillian politician and Cabinet Minister. She was the second woman in Bougainville to win an open electorate seat in the Bougainville House of Representatives.[2] She won the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2026.[3]

Roka Matbob is from Ioro in Central Bougainville,[4] and grew up during the Bougainville Civil War.[1] She was educated at Divine Word University[5] and the University of Goroka,[1] and subsequently established a counselling and learning centre in Iora.[4]

At the 2020 Bougainvillean general election she contested the seat of Ioro, beating 15 men to win the seat.[2] As minister of education, she was one of two women appointed on 2 October 2020 to the cabinet of the president, Ishmael Toroama, the other being Yolande Geraldine Paul.[6][7]

In September 2020, she was one of a group of Boungainville villagers who filed a human rights complaint against Rio Tinto over environmental degradation caused by the Panguna mine.[8][9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Roka-Matbob, Theonila; Hill, Christina. "FROM CRISIS TO OPTIMISM: BUILDING BOUGAINVILLE'S FUTURE". Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Victorious woman always confident of winning Bougainville Open Seat". RNZ. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  3. ↑ "Introducing the 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize Winners". Goldman Environmental Prize. 2026-04-20. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  4. 1 2 Romulus Masiu (5 March 2020). "Young Mother To Contest Ioro Seat". PNG Post-Courier. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  5. ↑ "Hon Theonila Roka Matbob". Pacific Women in Politics. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
  6. ↑ "In A First, Two Women Appointed As Cabinet Ministers In Bougainville". shethepeople. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  7. ↑ "Bougainville's Toroama forms a 14 member Cabinet". RNZ. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  8. ↑ "Human rights complaint urges Rio Tinto fix environmental 'disaster' at Bougainville mine site". SBS. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  9. ↑ Livia Albeck-Ripka (30 September 2020). "Abandoned Rio Tinto Mine Is Blamed for Poisoned Bougainville Rivers". New York Times. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
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