Govt assures Japan of K156mil funding

By TREVOR WAHUNE
THE government has assured Japan and the lead contractor working on the K385 million Port Moresby Sewerage Service Upgrading Project that it will meet its counterpart funding of K156 million.
The project is co-funded by Japan through a Japanese International Corporation Agency (Jica) loan of K229 million signed in 2010 and the Papua New Guinea Government. Japan and the lead contractor Dai Nippon had raised their concern about the delay by PNG in meeting its financial obligation to ensure the project is completed on schedule.
Minister for National Planning and Monitoring Richard Maru visited the site yesterday with Japanese Ambassador Satoshi Nakajima and Jica chief representative to PNG Takashi Toyoma.
Maru assured them that PNG was not going to let them down on its obligations as the project was an important infrastructure in its national capital.
The project is to improve sewerage facilities and rehabilitate the existing infrastructure to improve the living conditions of people in the southern coastal catchment of Port Moresby.
Japanese firm Dai Nippon is leading the project and working with technical officers from Eda Ranu. Kumul Consolidated Holdings manages the project.