By Samantha Solomon
The International Labour Organisation as part of the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, is now working on three roads to help farmers to have easy access to markets to sell their products in the Sepik Region.
This initiative is basically for agribusiness activities like cocoa, vanilla and fisheries to continue and people to have easy access to markets.
Not only that, but these roads will also service 46,500 beneficiaries, these people will now also have easy access to schools, health facilities and financial services in the Sepik Region.
In total, International Labour Organisation is working on a road that is over 38 kilometres in three districts of the East and West Sepik Provinces.
The rehabilitation work has started in February this year and is on going
The acting Chief Technical Advisor for ILO Led Transport Infrastructure Programme, Okello Louis P’Abur Okello, has assured the beneficiaries that the rehabilitation will be of high quality so that the roads will 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.
On behalf of East Sepik Provincial Government, the Deputy Administrator James Baloiloi, thanked ILO and said, “the road component would not be there if there is no cocoa, vanilla and fisheries.”
He said, the challenge for us now is to increase the volume of these crops and products and access the markets.
