Papua New Guinea : Lae Port Livelihood and Social Improvement Project

Health /

ADB's Country Strategy and Program for PNG 2006-2010 focuses on 4 strategic areas: (1) public financial management, (2) private sector development, (3) transport sector, and (4) health and HIV/AIDS. It recognizes that the maritime subsector is critical to PNG's economy, and that ADB should continue to focus on road and maritime subsectors. ADB supports the Lae Port Development Project.

The Project will extend the benefits of the Loan Project to some of the poorest communities in Lae in Papua New Guinea, and to strengthen the port Project's impact on poverty reduction.

The Project will provide; (i) enhanced social infrastructure and services to people resettled from a swamp and other poor communities, (ii) income generating opportunities to three Labu villages that live on subsistence agricultural and fishery, (iii) livelihood enhancement training for women and men, and (iv) independent monitoring by a nongovernment organisation(NGO).

Outcome (i)- 11 Schools and 8 health facilities will be improved under this component. Improvement of all targeted 11 schools and 8 health facilities, with additional works are completed.

Outcome (ii) & (iii)- Income generating opportunities and livelihood enhancement training for women and men: Local service providers have been engaged to continue on with providing these trainings to the affected and labu people (indirectly affected). All these trainings have been provided by the service providers.

Outcome -(iv) An independent monitoring consultant has been engaged and has commenced work to monitor the grant project and compile monitoring reports. The Consultant has produced inception, interim, mid-term and a final report.

The livelihood of directly and indirectly affected people will be improved. Training will be provided for 700 women and 150 men in health and vocational skills. Training and assistance will be given for home food processing, agricultural demonstration plots with marketing support for the raising of chickens, pigs, and rabbits and the cultivation of vegetables, and assistance and demonstration trials provided for floating fish cages in lagoons for the Labu villages. Independent monitoring reports will be produced.

11 Schools and 8 Health Facilities will be expanded under the SRP for the APs and Labu People.

Improvement of all 11 schools and 8 health facilities have been completed.

Under the Supplementary Resettlement Plan (SRP) which was approved by ADB on 29 April 2009, two trainings were provided for the Affected People (AP); (i) Personal Viability and (ii) Start Your Own Business. These two trainings were given to change the APs mind set and provide them with the skills to be able to use wisely the cash that was given to them to resettle so they can improve their livelihoods. From the internal monitoring done by the EA, some resettlers have successfully started their own businesses. Additional trainings in vocational skills have been provided to the APs and the Labu people (indirectly affected) by a service provider during the implementation of activities.

The EA has engaged a local service provider, a NGO, to implement these trainings and they have completed the trainings.

BK (a local NGO) has been engaged to implement the income improvement program for the APs and Labu people. BK identified trainings for the different income improvement activities which include: (i) Cocoa Development; (ii) Inland Fish Farming; (iii) Mud Crab Fattening; (iv) Chicken Farm; and (v) Fish Aggregating Device). The local NGO's however, could not complete the assignement as their contract was terminated in June 2013, thus the EA engaged 4 local service providers. The 4 service providers have completed conducting all livelihood trainings for the affected and labu people.

An independent monitoring consultant has been engaged and has commenced work to monitor the grant project and compile monitoring reports. The Consultant has produced inception, interim, mid-term and a final report.