EU-STREIT PNG Programme

Overcoming historical barriers of geographical isolation and technological limitations, agribusiness entrepreneurs, lead farmers, and MSMEs owners in Sepik are embracing digital platforms to expand their market reach and economic prosperity.

Home to 3,000 residents, this community, a mere three-hour drive from the Vanimo township, has become a beacon of hope and economic resurgence.

For years, Osima Village grappled with isolation, its inhabitants relying on traditional hunting and gardening for sustenance. Accessing markets in Vanimo and neighboring Indonesia posed significant challenges due to unreliable transportation.

Jeffery Osi, a village elder, vividly recalls the arduous waits for transport, even for urgent medical needs.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the EU-STREIT PNG Programme is committed to providing clean and renewable energy to improve the lives of the rural Sepik region.

Through the support, it will enable the consistency of electricity for health and education services. About 10,000 inhabitants of Osima and three neighbouring villages will benefit from this support.

This initiative, part of the broader EU-STREIT PNG Programme, is designed to uplift local cocoa farmers by providing them with unprecedented access to lucrative international markets.

Pioneering this endeavor is a cohort of nine cocoa MSMEs in Sepik. These enterprises, known for their high-quality cocoa, have undergone extensive training and development, and are supported with production and processing materials by the FAO. Their products, celebrated for their unique flavour profiles, are now ready to make a mark on the global stage.

This eco-friendly technology aims to revolutionize vanilla production, benefiting over 1,000 rural households and 40 farmer groups.

With 199 solar dryers distributed across nine locations, these devices expedite drying, maintain bean quality, and reduce curing time.

The initiative not only boosts local farmers' incomes but also positions Papua New Guinea competitively in the global vanilla market.

Complemented by comprehensive training, this holistic approach ensures sustainable, high-quality vanilla production aligned with international standards.

Collaborating with key entities like Papua New Guinea's Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), National ICT Authority (NICTA), and UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), ITU spearheaded the "Improving Network Coverage and Expansion and Financial Inclusion in the Sepik" event. 

This strategic initiative seeks to obliterate the digital divide and unleash the potential of mobile broadband and internet access throughout the region.

The effort is to improve the quality and quantity of fish production, increase income and enrich the nutrition of inland rural communities in the Sepik region.

Eight hundred fifty-six rural population living in inland areas of the Vanimo-Green District of West Sepik Province will have better access to nutrient-rich fish protein for an improved diet, thanks to support provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), under the EU-funded STREIT PNG Programme.

The workshop, attended by around 31 representatives from West and East Sepik provinces, included members of the Gender Mainstreaming Technical Working Group, financial institutions, MSME representatives, the Provincial Councils of Women, and civil society organizations.

The participants discussed and brainstormed on what needs to be done to support and empower women in agriculture and formulate a national policy and implementation plan for WiA.

By December 2022, the programme reports that they have supported farmers in Ambunti-Drekikier, Angoram, Maprik, Wewak, Wosera-Gawi.  

These support included 1286 cocoa farmers with the distribution of 84,299 cocoa pod borer (CPB) tolerant seedlings whilst supporting 586 vanilla farmers with the distribution of 10,000 quality and healthy vanilla vines.

In addition, the programme supported 150 inland fishers with the distribution of 800 fingerlings and built the capacity of 104 fishers in aquaculture/inland fisheries.

The road rehabilitation and specific maintenance provides improved access for the rural population in the Greater Sepik Region of 12,430.

The programme also reported the achievement of 40% physical progress in implementation of six (6) ongoing road rehabilitation and specific maintenance contracts in partnership with PNG UniTech.