With the celebration of Papua New Guinea’s 50 years of independence, the Department of Works and Highways looks back at its journey, from building the country after World War II to planning for the future through the Connect PNG Program.
How It All Started
After World War II, the Australian government set up the Commonwealth Department of Works (Comworks) to help rebuild Papua New Guinea. They fixed roads, built government offices, and helped restore services.
In 1969, Comworks built the Games Village for the South Pacific Games in Port Moresby. After that, the department moved to a bigger location near Murray Barracks and 4-Mile.
By 1973, as PNG prepared for independence, the Department of Works became one of the first government departments. It set up its design office in Port Moresby and helped build many important facilities.
Secretary Gibson Holemba said “the first legislation to establish the department was the Road Maintenance Act of 1971. That legislation gave the power to Works to build and maintain roads. It helped us establish Works units and government construction equipment across the country, and we trained our own staff.”
“Most of the rural high schools, district police stations, and Correctional Institutional Services (CIS) infrastructure was built by our own staff.”
Facing Challenges and Making Changes
In 1995, the government decided to let private companies handle most construction projects. But there weren’t many local companies ready for the job.
“The government made a decision that Works should outsource most of its projects to the private sector. The problem we had back then was that we hadn’t created a construction industry yet. There were no Papua New Guinean-owned companies with the capacity to build roads, bridges, or buildings.”
Today, the Department is leading the Connect PNG Program, which aims to build 16,000 kilometers of roads by 2040. It’s also working on new laws to improve road maintenance and building safety.
Planning for the Future
Secretary Holemba wants to rebuild the Department’s skills and workforce. He plans to reopen training centers, start a graduate program, and pass new laws to protect road assets.
The Department is focused on connecting more communities, supporting local businesses, and making sure PNG’s infrastructure is strong for the next 50 years.
DOWH 50th Independence Supplement