Public Investment to Provide Basic Amenities

 

As a nation we have not invested wisely and enough in infrastructure. We have also accumulated a stock of incomplete and neglected infrastructure projects, which have proved a waste of scarce resources. “Lack of coordinated and integrated planning means that investments have been sporadic, not synchronized and not thought through enough”. As our population has grown, our infrastructure has not kept pace with the
increasing demand, drastically impacting on the quality of life and the cost of business and economic activity.

In order for Papua New Guinea to have sustained growth we need sustained Investment in our infrastructure, and in an integrated way, my advice for the Government is simple we need a significant infrastructure upgrade and development as a major fulcrum. I believe that this can be done by working with the private sector, using innovative funding strategies and ensuring we get value for money.
Our Government’s focus must be to invest prudently in public works in the
Following area:

Transport: Roads

Our current transportation network is not integrated and is inadequate. Accordingly, we have not optimized the linkages between our roads, and ports (both air and sea) for full economic and social benefit. Our roads system is overburdened and in a poor state. In 2002 the Morata government increased some of the roads in bituminous surface in and around Port Moresby; the previous National Alliance Government made some improvement but very little has made an impact, now our current conditions pose a big challenge to the effectiveness of the network in the wet seasons. Moreover, the road networks, especially in the urban areas, are incessantly overburdened with traffic in the rural areas the roads rarely exist in the last 10 years. The Current Government should build an extensive road development program that suit’s PNG current conditions with timely routine and periodic maintenance programs to improve road network conditions and ensure prudent and judicious disbursement of the Road fund to finance routine and periodic maintenance, road safety and upgrading of minor roads in order of priority.


Kofi Assan

Mangi Tari Blog