Milne Bay targets higher infrastructure standards with JICA engineering partnership

The Milne Bay Provincial Works Supervision Unit [WSU] has taken an important step in its drive to lift infrastructure standards, by securing the support of a Japanese volunteer civil engineer under the Japan International Cooperation Agency [JICA] Volunteer Program.

Koji Nakanishi, a 54-year-old engineer with decades of experience, will be based in Alotau for the next two years, helping WSU’s technical division strengthen project planning, inspection, and delivery.

For Milne Bay, which oversees critical government infrastructure projects, the partnership is vital in aligning provincial practices with the standards of the national Department of Works & Highways.

WSU manager Austin Polin said the support will be spread across the province.

“Mr. Nakanishi will help us improve our project processes and tackle challenges we face as a province," he said. "This support is for Milne Bay’s entire infrastructure sector, made possible through the Japanese Government and JICA."

The opportunity follows the success of former WSU manager William Vincent, who in 2023 excelled in JICA’s Knowledge Co-Creation Program [KCCP] in Japan. His performance earned PNG its first-ever monitoring and evaluation follow-up under the program, which paved the way for Milne Bay to apply for a JICA volunteer.

Vincent said the goal is to build a provincial engineering standard that matches national benchmarks.

“If we can, in our own context, achieve the same engineering discipline as the National Department of Works, we can create manuals and inspection systems tailored to Milne Bay. That will put us on par with national standards and better support our provincial government,” he said.

Nakanishi is expected to both train and work alongside his PNG colleagues, contributing technical expertise while also engaging in cultural exchange, including sharing Japanese language lessons.

The JICA Volunteer Program, a cornerstone of Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA), is designed to:

Provincial officials say the partnership signals a new chapter in Milne Bay’s ambition to deliver infrastructure that meets national and international standards.