The EU Funded UN Joint STREIT PNG Programme has started with rehabilitation and specific maintenance of two farm-to-market access roads in the Sepik Region.
It is progressing on improving the efficiency of value chain enablers, including sustainable, climate-proof transport infrastructure development in Papua New Guinea.
Led by the International Labour Organization (ILO), these two roads will support farming communities involved in cocoa, vanilla, and fisheries production to access further markets with more rewarding prices, and open up rural communities for agribusiness opportunities.
Two groundbreaking ceremonies were held to mark the start of work on two roads in East Sepik Province. The first ceremony was on 22 July for a 7.8 km Banak-Wautogik Road along the west coast of Wewak District that later followed with the start of a 12.8 km Balif-Araseli Road in the Ambunti-Drekikier District on 28 July.
The Balif-Araseli Road will provide access to market for more than 5000 farmers of 9 villages, 4 Wards and 1 LLG in Ambunti-Drekikier District.
Midway Pacific Ltd is the contractor for this road rehabilitation and specific maintenance project that will also serve existing public facilities in the area like schools, aid posts and health centres as well as opening up agribusiness opportunities for the rural communities.
This 12-months project will also create decent job opportunities for the rural communities.
These roads are part of 15 farm-to-market access roads totalling 264 km planned for rehabilitation and specific maintenance under the EU-STREIT Programme in rural Sepik, Papua New Guinea.
Speaking on behalf of the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, Muhammad Atif Nasim, the International Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, said: “I have a request for you, because this is your road, you have to take care of it. It is not just another road; it is the key to your future. It will help you to change in 5 to 10 years’ time.”
Chief Technical Advisor of ILO EU-STREIT PNG, Shailendra Kumar Jha, in his speech during the Balif-Araseli Road ground-breaking ceremony, assured the villagers that there will be ongoing monitoring by ILO engineers to ensure delivery of quality road on time. He also urged the community to take ownership and support road rehabilitation and specific maintenance projects.
Under the road transport infrastructure component of the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, the road rehabilitation/specific maintenance project will support market access for rural farming communities to boost agriculture production and agribusiness activities pertaining to the three targeted value chains of cocoa, vanilla and fisheries for an improved income and cash flow for the rural sector.