By ZEBEDEE KUMPIO
THE Department of Works and Highways (DoWH) and the Project Technical Support (PTS) team, in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), convened the 7th and final Joint Coordinating Committee (JCC) meeting on Thursday (28 August).
The meeting marks a significant milestone in the project for Capacity Development on Road Maintenance Phase 2 (CDRM2), which aims at enhancing the institutional, management, and technical capacities of the DoWH and PTS.
The JCC meeting was held at the Department of Works and Highways Headquarters in Port Moresby, and was attended by key stakeholders, including officials from DoWH, PTS, JICA, and the Japanese Embassy.
The gathering served as a platform for reviewing the progress of CDRM2 activities, addressing project-related issues, and making critical decisions regarding the future direction of the project.
Acting Executive Director of Operations for DoWH, Mr. Brian Alois, highlighted that the project was divided into two phases, each with a four-year term.
He expressed gratitude to JICA for donating machinery and providing training on the maintenance of equipment.
JICA facilitated training for local mechanics, plant operators, and civil engineers on how to operate and maintain the machinery and manage data storage.
Mr. Alois emphasized that the project’s primary focus is on road maintenance rather than the construction of national highways.
“The government is focused on maintaining national highways; therefore, this program is aimed at building and maintaining subnational roads,” he explained.
The first phase of the project included work in the provinces of Morobe, West New Britain, East Sepik, and Western Highlands.
Phase two expanded to East New Britain, West Sepik, Western Province, and Madang.
Meanwhile, equipment has also been allocated to Enga and Manus provinces.
Mr. Alois acknowledged some misalignment within the program and identified two main reasons why the project did not fully align with other road construction initiatives.
“Firstly, CDRM2 preceded the Connect PNG program, and secondly, we have now transferred responsibility for district roads to the District Development Authorities (DDAs), leaving the equipment in limbo,” he said.
He further explained that to fully utilize the equipment, the DoWH would need to relocate it from the provinces and align it with the Connect PNG program.
