Photo credit: Tokua Airport
Tokua Airport in East New Britain has received a K9.2 million grant from the Japanese government (ENB).
Soroi Eoe, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, praised Japanese Ambassador Nobuyuki Watanabe for his aid in Port Moresby.
A K15.6 million grant from the Japanese government was also offered for development on the Rouna 3 hydropower facility, which feeds Port Moresby.
The money, according to Watanabe, would be used to provide heavy equipment and plant to the National Airports Corporation in Tokua and the East New Britain Department of Works for road repair near Tokua.
The equipment will be delivered to NAC at Tokua Airport and the provincial works division and will include a tractor, ride-on mowers, push lawn mowers, brush cutters, a backhoe, and a line forming machines, among other things.
According to Eoe, the government's Vision 2050 and Medium-Term Development Plan 3 aimed to turn ENB into a tourism centre while also encouraging growth in the agricultural and fisheries sectors to diversify the economy and provide new income sources.
“This equipment will contribute towards the maintenance and safe operations of the Tokua airport, which is a critical infrastructure forming part of this transformation,” he said.
Reference: The National (1 March 2022). “K9.2mil grant to boost airport work”.
