Located in the northeast of Papua New Guinea, New Britain Island is the second largest island in terms of area after the main island of New Guinea, and consists of East New Britain (ENB) Province and West New Britain Province. The main industries are cocoa and papaya. The main industry is the export of primary products such as cocoa and palm oil, which is extremely dependent on foreign countries, and the development of social infrastructure such as ports and airports is essential. In addition, a large population growth is expected in ENB, especially in the Cocopo-Rabaul area. Under these circumstances, ENB has formulated the “Economic Development Plan for East New Britain (2003-2030)” and the “Strategic Development Plan for East New Britain (2011-2021),” which include the development of domestic industries such as agro-processing and tourism, aiming for a more sustainable development of the province. However, there is no development plan in place for ENB’s major social infrastructure in line with the Province’s development plan, although the province faces many challenges such as insufficient facility capacity at Tokua Airport and Rabaul Port, traffic obstacles due to unpaved trunk roads, unstable electricity supply, and poor quality water services. In addition, the region has frequently suffered from natural disasters such as volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis.
This cooperation will contribute to appropriate budgetary measures and harmonized infrastructure development by preparing an infrastructure development plan for the Kokopo Rabaul area.
© Source JICA