Rehabilitating 3 farm-to-market access roads to benefit 46,000+ rural population in 3 districts of Papua New Guinea

Wewak, Papua New Guinea – To enable the sustainable growth of agribusiness activities in Cocoa, Vanilla, and Fisheries value chains and open up the vast rural economy for broader social and economic benefits, the International Labour Organization (ILO), as part of the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, is on a roll to improve selected farm-to-market access roads in the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea.

In its latest effort, ILO, in February of this year, started the rehabilitation work on three roads totalling 38.08 km in three districts of East and West Sepik provinces. Once the rehabilitation of these roads is completed, it will benefit over 46,500 villagers living in the implementing zones – who are mostly cocoa, vanilla, and inland fish farmers – with easy access to market their produce.

The roads will also open up access to many public facilities like elementary and primary schools, health posts, higher educational institutions, banking services and other community service centres.

As the first of the three roads, in Nuku District of West Sepik Province, a 15.8 km Walkasa- Maimai Wanwan road is being rehabilitated to connect two areas with high agricultural production, namely Maimai Wanwan Local Level Government (LLG) and Nuku Central LLG. The total population in the two LLGs benefiting from this intervention is more than 16,000 people. In terms of cocoa production, the combined Local Level Governments (LLGs) have 2,600 farmers who own more than 700,000 cocoa trees, seven cocoa fermentaries, and eight cocoa nurseries that are located along the road. Vanilla production in the two LLGs is estimated at 17,000 tonnes annually and is expected to increase once market access is improved. With regard to fisheries value chain, the two LLGs are host to 672 inland-fish farmers within 22 groups operating 824 fish ponds. The road will also provide easy access to 10 elementary and primary schools.

In Ambunti-Drekikier District of East Sepik Province, a 14.8 km Nanaha – Tau road is under rehabilitation and shall serve over 30,000 people belonging to 8,365 households in the Drekikier and Kawanga LLGs. The road will also service Drekikier High School.

The 7.43 km Yawasoro - Niengwanjie ring road in Wewak District, East Sepik Province, is also under rehabilitation by ILO. It will benefit over 500 villagers/farmers, 345 households and 173 cocoa fermentaries. This is the first major road rehabilitation for the community after more than two decades. The road will connect to a 6 km Yarapi-Suambukau road.

Speaking on behalf of the EU-STREIT PNG Programme Coordinator at the ground-breaking ceremonies, Ms Patu Jume Shang, the FAO Gender and Youth Inclusion Specialist, reiterated the need for collaboration between the beneficiary populations and the contractors in order for the works to go without hitches and be completed on time. She also emphasised the need for ownership and sustainability and called on the beneficiary communities to organise and mobilise themselves to ensure constant community mobilisation for the maintenance of these roads to avoid premature depreciation. “This is a unique opportunity, and we do not have to wait for the road to go very bad before we start fixing it. Whatever is being done here today by the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, keep it up to, ensure that you enjoy good quality roads for a long time,” said Ms Shang. 

Present to explain the technical aspects of the roads was the Acting Chief Technical Advisor of the ILO-led Transport Infrastructure Programme, Okello Louis P’Abur Okello, who said the road improvement works will include properly constructed road subgrade, sub-bases and drainage structures (culverts, bridges, etc.) as well as improved horizontal and vertical alignments for areas with steep gradients. He assured the beneficiaries that the rehabilitation will be of high quality so that the roads would last for some good years. He also explained that the contractors for these roads were selected through stringent ILO procurement and tendering processes. The contractors have 12 months to complete their works, and this shall be followed by a 12-month defects liability period.

Also present at an inauguration ceremony for Yawasoro-Niengwanjie road was the Deputy Provincial Administrator of East Sepik Province, Mr James Baloiloi, who said: “On behalf of the Government of East Sepik and the Provincial Administration, I’m very happy and thankful for this support from European Union through the EU-STREIT PNG Programme which ILO is implementing. The road component would not be there if there is no cocoa, vanilla and fisheries. The challenge for us now is to increase the volume of these crops and products and access the markets,” said Mr Baloiloi.

• Benefiting mothers and saving the lives of expectant mums and infants

“These roads will be of great benefit to mothers as well”, emphasised by Mrs Alvina Mari, who spoke on behalf of the mothers will benefit from the Yawasoro-Niengwanjie road. “We women walk long distances to get to the main road. Vehicles can now access this road to help us. On behalf of all mothers, I want to say thank you to the European Union Funded STREIT PNG Programme.”

The same sentiments were also shared by mothers who benefit from the Nanaha-Tau road rehabilitation work. “We mothers from the backend of this road in Kawanga LLG struggle with loads on our backs to get to the junction. If we’re lucky, we get on a vehicle to Maprik Town to sell our produce. Sometimes we are not so lucky and have to return to the village and walk back again the next day to the junction,” said Cathy Woripeh.

“Apart from challenges of access to markets for cocoa, vanilla and fisheries products, we have issues of pregnant mothers walking the Walkasa-Maimai Wanwan road for hours to the nearest health centres to have their babies. With these roads rehabilitated, ambulances can now travel straight to their homes/villages,” said Mr John Walando, the fisheries officer for the Nuku District Administration.

By the end of the Programme, 15 farm-to-market access road networks would have been rehabilitated by ILO under the EU-STREIT PNG Programme in the Sepik region, as part of the Programme’s stream of works to provide sustainable, climate-resilient transport infrastructure aimed at improving agri-food value chains and agri-business enabling environment.

The EU-STREIT PNG Programme, being implemented as a UN Joint Programme (FAO as the leading agency, and ILO, ITU, UNCDF and UNDP as partners), is the largest grant-funded Programme of the European Union in the country and the Pacific region. The Programme aims to help improve the lives of the people from East Sepik and West Sepik provinces by focusing on increasing sustainable and inclusive economic development of rural areas through improved economic returns and opportunities from cocoa, vanilla and fishery value chains while strengthening and improving the efficiency of value chain enablers, including the business environment and supporting sustainable, climate-resilient transport and energy infrastructure development.