PNG-Australia partnership

“I started from one container. I had one receptionist and a small number of workmen plus some equipment,” Managing Director Thomas Pisimi recalls.

“I did almost everything myself: the accounting, the buying of parts. I was a one-man show.”

Pisimi focused his business on providing good quality work with good accounting and management and was awarded two PNG-Australia Partnership road improvement contracts for 186km of the Coastal Highway between Madang and Bogia districts.

The PNG-Australia Partnership grants, worth a total of PGK2 million, will support community-led health and education projects aimed at preventing the spread of diseases, including COVID-19.

The grants will allow communities to improve access to clean water and procure soap, sanitiser and cleaning products. The grants will also support provincial COVID-19 prevention training and awareness.

The program, launched in November 2019, aims to improve access to energy in rural communities across Papua New Guinea, by investing in innovative off-grid energy projects.

Pawarim Komuniti is part of Australia’s commitment under the PNG Electrification Partnership to help PNG meet its rural electrification targets.

The six new projects will help more than 100 villages improve community lighting, water supply, cooking facilities, education and distance learning, and phone charging. Partners will deliver projects in West Sepik, Western and Oro, Morobe and Madang provinces.

The ICT resources provided to the school include the setup of 40 computers with software installation, wireless internet access and installation of a server and storage.

The support also includes the installation of a digital library commonly known as the E-Granary, which stores up to thirty-two million valuable learning and teaching resources. These can be used at the school to support teaching and learning across all subjects in the curriculum.