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Project Management Training

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EU STREIT PNG

Government officers and private contractors in Papua New Guinea have been equipped with enhanced project management skills in a recent comprehensive capacity-building training, as stated from the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The training, part of the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, was designed to improve the quality and efficiency of transport infrastructure project management in the country.

The infrastructure sector is crucial to Papua New Guinea’s economic growth and connectivity.

The capacity-building workshop held in Wewak focused on Project Scheduling and Resource Planning, engaging a diverse group of participants, including key stakeholders, contractors and government officers involved in road construction.

The training aimed to provide participants with the necessary skills and knowledge to use project management software such as Primavera and Microsoft Project, which are pivotal for effective scheduling and project planning in transport infrastructure projects. The workshop covered essential aspects of project management, including project lifecycle, planning, time management, work breakdown structure, resource allocation, project structure, organisation breakdown structure, cost management, risk management, monitoring and control, and reporting.

The capacity-building initiative was attended by 20 participants from government agencies, private contractors, and development partners. One of the participants, Mr Sani Sani, Project Engineer from Sani Construction Limited, praised the training, stating that it was an “eye-opener” and the skills they acquired would be valuable in their work.

Key takeaways from the training included enhanced project efficiency, improved decision-making, timely project delivery, resource optimization, and fostering collaboration. Participants learned to use Primavera and Microsoft Project to optimize resource allocation, streamline workflow processes, and make data-driven decisions.

The ILO, under the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the development of skills and capacities in Papua New Guinea’s transport infrastructure sector.

The EU-STREIT PNG Programme is the largest grant-funded Programme of the European Union in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific region. Implemented as a UN Joint Programme with FAO as the leading agency, and ILO, ITU, UNCDF, and UNDP as partners, it aims to enhance sustainable and inclusive economic development in rural areas and improve the efficiency of value chain enablers.

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Support for Aquaculture Development

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Fish Farming

An initiative desired to increase access to nutrient-rich fish protein and improve diets of approximately 856 rural residents has gained positive response in West Sepik Province.

As part of the EU-funded STREIT PNG Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched this program to support inland fish farming in the Vanimo-Green District,

FAO supplied 12,900 high-quality Tilapia fingerlings to 107 households in Yako, Pewi Conner, Hogru, and Biaka villages located along Vanimo west Coast.

These beneficiaries are owners of more than 200 fish ponds and six fish nurseries. As part of the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, these farmers have received training in aquaculture production techniques, including Tilapia biology and lifecycle, fingerling stocking, fish feed production using local ingredients, pond construction and management, and financial record-keeping, among other skills.

The initiative, which is in partnership with the Provincial Fisheries and Marine Resources Office, focuses on helping inland fish farming households to increase fish production, earn a higher income, and boost food security in inland areas.

FAO Fresh Water Aquaculture Officer, Lapia Renagi, said the tilapia fish has a mild flaky taste and firm meat texture, and that makes it a top consumer choice.

“With a steady growth gradient, Tilapia fish farming is emerging as a potential income stream as wild stock populations are dramatically declining.” said Renagi.

As part of the initiative, households received between 50 to 150 fingerlings, depending on the size and number of their fish ponds. FAO plans to continue its support to West Sepik Province with an additional 20,000 fingerlings.

The intervention comes as part of the fisheries value chains upgrading plan in the Sepik region. This plan is based on a study commissioned by the FAO to the PNG National Fisheries Authority (NFA) under EU-STREIT PNG, which identified challenges faced by key actors.

“Inland Fisheries or Fresh Water Aquaculture is the fastest growing industry globally, taking over from capture fishery,” said Mr Mohammed Zakir Hossain, FAO International Fisheries Officer.

“It is an environment-friendly and sustainable activity and an effective option to shifting fishing pressure on natural habitats.”

The EU-STREIT PNG Programme, led by FAO, is the largest grant-funded Programme of the European Union in Papua New Guinea. It focuses on increasing sustainable and inclusive economic development of rural areas through enhancing cocoa, vanilla and fisheries value chains and improving the efficiency of value chain enablers. The programme also supports sustainable, climate-resistant transport and energy infrastructure development.

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Agriculture

MARKET ACCESS FOR REMOTE COCOA FARMERS

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Cocoa farmers from a remote community living along the Sepik River are now connected to the leading cocoa industry players in the country and overseas and receive a premium price for their quality cocoa products.

With support from the EU-STREIT PNG Programme and PNG Investment Promotion Authority (IPA), MUPA Cocoa Cooperative Society, which comprised of 240 farmers from two villages in Yuat LLG of Angoram District in East Sepik Province, established a business link with Queen Emma Chocolate Company.

Recently, they sent their first shipment of quality beans to the chocolate-making company, achieving a considerably higher market price.

Director of MUPA Cocoa Cooperative Ltd, Sperian Kapia said the company is paying a higher rate for their dried beans at K630 per bag, which is more than the average price offered by intermediary buyers.

Their first shipment consisted of 40 bags of quality dried beans, fetched an additional K4,000 into the cooperative’s bank account.

The EU-STREIT PNG Programme is working on improving the access of local agricultural enterprises to domestic and overseas markets.

This includes organising exposure visits to national and international agri-food trade shows, where the Sepik-based agripreneurs can learn, interact, identify potential buyers, and forge new business opportunities.

Kapia was one of the Sepik cocoa model farmers who participated in the International Food Service & Hospitality Exhibition in Singapore in August 2022, where he initiated the market link with Queen Emma Chocolate Company.

“It was there that Queen Emma Chocolate’s representatives showed interest in our cocoa and invited me to visit their factory in Port Moresby. We reached to an agreement to supply the company with our unique cocoa dried beans,” said Kapia.

Kapia said with these support, they were also introduced to a new potential buyer from New Zealand, the Pacific Cocoa 380.

“The EU-STREIT PNG Programme assisted us in freighting 20 KG of our cocoa dried beans to New Zealand, where they tasted our cocoa, and has shown interested in the quality.”

Kapia said they have agreed to buy 15 to 20 tons of cocoa dried beans from MUPA.

This premium price paid for dried beans and extra income generated at the cooperative level, allows MUPA and affiliated fermentaries to pay a higher rate for wet beans, extending the benefits to farmers at the grassroots level, who produce and supply wet beans to fermentaries.

“The usual price for wet beans used to be lower, around K1.4 per KG, but thanks to the direct connection formed with the premium buyers, we are now able to pay farmers at a higher price, at K1.7 per KG of wet beans, which is 21 percent above the normal rate,” Kapia explained.

“This helps the parents in my community to pay for their kids’ school fees, buy utensils for their houses, and food to improve family’s diets.”

“With this support and market arrangement that gives us more money, we can also continue to support our farmers in terms of social development; we have school and want to support it in terms of infrastructure and educational material, also our health care.”

This connection and access to market is something different and promising for our farmers,” Kapia said.

Related: https://insidepng.com/eu-streit-program-partners-with-agri-enterprises/

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