Government urged to address critical housing shortage in Port Moresby and Lae

Papua New Guinea’s two largest cities face a critical shortage of affordable housing, experts say.

A study by the National Research Institute calls for the private and public sectors to concentrate on their roles in fixing the shortage of affordable housing in urban areas, particularly in Lae and Port Moresby.

The study's author, Dr Lindsay Kutan, says the housing market in Lae and Port Moresby needs government intervention to address challenges including shortages of state-owned land and inadequate infrastructure such as water mains, sewerage and good road networks.

The study calls for the government to provide tax credit incentives to encourage private developers to put in infrastructure.

It also calls for laws and regulations to be reviewed to cut bureaucratic red tape, and for urban development plans to be prioritised, funded and implemented to ensure proper and orderly town development.