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Roads program gets boost
With its funding now legislated, we ask David Wereh, Secretary of the Department of Works and Highways, what’s next for the ambitious 20year Connect PNG road-building program.
Papua New Guinea’s under-maintained and incomplete road network has long been considered a brake on the country’s economic development, especially in the populous Highlands region, where the poor state of roads has a negative impact on farmers’ ability to get produce to market.
While PNG has a 20-year program – Connect PNG – to renovate and expand its 30,000 km road network, the 2023 National Budget guarantees its funding for the first time.
‘The Connect PNG (Implementation and Funding) Act 2021 comes into effect this year, which protects the funding going forward,’ says Wereh – the man tasked with implementing
Connect PNG. ‘With the law and the Prime Minister and government’s commitment, we’re now seeing improvements in funds.’
From now on, the government will allocate 5.6 per cent of its annual budget toward the program, 50 per cent of which will come from government revenues and 50 per cent from external loans and grants.
