Jica team plans ENB infrastructure projects

A technical team from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency is in Kokopo, East New Britain (ENB), to plan the Kokopo-Rabaul infrastructure development projects.
This was revealed by deputy provincial administrator in charge of socio economic services and chairman of the Kokopo-Rabaul infrastructure development projects Levi Mano.
Mano said that the team was in the province to consult with provincial administration on major projects for Rabaul and Kokopo.
He told The National yesterday that it was an integrated project that would cover all sectors and this had come about following lack of support from the national departments on the province’s development plan.
“The Kokopo-Rabaul infrastructure development master plan aims to capture the project goals, to promote the development of infrastructures in harmony with the economic sectors and the environment within the Kokopo-Rabaul and to contribute to budget planning that is necessary for infrastructure development in the province,” he said.
PNG representative Akira Fujiwara said that the Kokopo-Rabaul infrastructure development plan was the only master plan project that they were working on at the moment in the country, with the last one done several years ago for Lae city in Morobe.
Fujiwara said they chose to work with ENB because it had a lot of economic potential.
“As you know, this province is famous for tourism and other economic activities, there is so much potential in the province that we can expand on and as you can see, that this is just a plan, it is just the beginning of the project,” he said.
“The important part of this project is its implementation.”
“The project is aimed at maximising the province’s economic potential and, therefore, we are ready to work with the provincial administration to make this plan eventuate.”
Fujiwara said they will be providing technical support for the formulation of an infrastructure development plan in the Kokopo and Rabaul districts which included the pre-feasibility study of a selected priority project.