By WASITA ROYAL
A new road has officially opened in Kulungere in Pomio District, East New Britain, making life easier for over 2,000 people.
For decades, people in the Upper Evon and Kulungere communities have struggled with bad roads. When it rained, the road became muddy and impossible to use. This has made it very hard for farmers to sell their cocoa, for families to reach clinics, and for children to get to school.
On Monday, January 26, 2026; leaders and the people along Kulungere gathered to celebrate the new 4-kilometer road where the East New Britain Governor Michael Marum, Cocoa Board CEO Jesse Anjen, and a senior World Bank official, Han Fraeters, joined the community for the opening.
The road was built with funding from the World Bank, through a government project aimed at helping cocoa farmers.
A local company, Kokopo Plant Hire Ltd, built the road for K5.7 million. They did not just fix the old surface. They built a strong, all-weather road that including; two concrete bridges over rivers, a three kilometer of proper drainage ditches with
eighteen water pipes under the road to prevent flooding and an 800 meter concrete pavement on the steepest and most difficult sections.
The impact is already being felt as people have started building new small shops along the roadside having the road providing to them, reliable market access for cocoa farmers, better access to schools and medical clinics, especially in emergencies and new economic opportunities for the whole community.
At the opening, leaders asked the community to take care of the road. Cocoa Board CEO Jesse Anjen encouraged everyone to do small maintenance so the road lasts a long time.