Japan and Papua New Guinea have formalised grant assistance for a landslide-prone section of the Kokopo-Rabaul Coastal Trunk Road and a scholarship program for PNG public servants, strengthening bilateral development cooperation between the two countries.
The projects were formalised on Sept. 18 through the signing of an Exchange of Note and Grant Agreement between the PNG government and Japan, with implementation to be supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under Japan’s official development assistance program.
The projects — the Project for Landslide Risk Reduction on the Kokopo-Rabaul Coastal Trunk Road and the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) — were requested by the PNG government to support the country’s socio-economic development priorities under the Medium Term Development Plan IV.
Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko and Japanese Ambassador to PNG Mochizuki Hisanobu officiated the Exchange of Note.
The Grant Agreement was signed by Koney Samuel, secretary of the Department of National Planning and Monitoring, and Shirouzu Kenichi, chief representative of the JICA PNG Office.
Protecting key East New Britain corridor
The road project will target a 2.4-kilometre landslide-prone section of the Kokopo-Rabaul Coastal Trunk Road in East New Britain.
The Department of Works and Highways is the government executing agency.
JICA said landslides along the corridor have regularly disrupted transport, livelihoods and access to essential services.
The project will introduce sediment ponds, bridges and drainage systems, together with slope protection works, to reduce landslide risks and improve the reliability of the road.
The Kokopo-Rabaul corridor connects communities, businesses and markets across East New Britain. Reducing the risk of road closures is expected to improve the movement of people and goods, strengthen logistics and supply chains and maintain access to essential services.
The project is also intended to improve the corridor’s resilience to climate-related risks and support economic activity in the province.
Building public-sector capacity
The second grant will support the Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS), which provides PNG public servants with scholarships to pursue master's degrees at universities in Japan.
The program is jointly implemented by the Department of National Planning and Monitoring and the Department of Personnel Management, with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Japan also involved in coordination.
JICA said the program aims to strengthen institutional capacity by developing public-sector professionals and future leaders who can contribute to PNG’s socio-economic development.
Since JDS was introduced in PNG in 2024, 22 public servants have been supported to undertake studies in Japan.
Applications for the 2027 intake opened in September 2026.
JDS is one of five scholarship programs JICA implements annually in PNG, aimed at strengthening the qualifications and skills of public servants while providing exposure to Japan’s development experience.
JICA said qualified women are encouraged to apply as part of its focus on gender equality and women’s empowerment.
The two projects add to more than five decades of development cooperation between Japan and PNG, with the latest grants combining infrastructure investment in a critical transport corridor with long-term investment in public-sector skills.
