John Rosso’s long road journey

Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso during the official Pangu Highway opening trip from Port Moresby to Lae, Morobe *(Image: Supplied)*

At 2am Sunday, 6th of September 2026, Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso was on the road.

He was travelling with Prime Minister James Marape and the government delegation on the long journey towards Lae.

For Rosso, it was more than a trip to attend an official opening. It was a chance to experience the road and see the communities along the way.

The journey took the convoy through towns, villages and remote areas. Along the road, people came out to welcome them. Some stopped the vehicles and offered bananas, pineapples, coconuts, betel nut and food.

Rosso noticed something simple. Many of the people did not have much. But they still gave what they had. That stayed with him.

The long journey also reminded Rosso why the Connect PNG programme matters. For people in remote communities, a road is not just a road. It is a way to reach a school. A way to reach a hospital. A way to take food and crops to market.

Rosso spoke about communities where people still walk for days to reach basic services. He said every Papua New Guinean deserved better access, no matter where they lived.

“The opinion of the person that lives in a remote society, that wants that road, matters,” he said.

The journey also gave Rosso a closer look at the size of the country and the distances many people travel every day.

For those living in Port Moresby or Lae, a long road trip may be unusual. For people in remote communities, it is part of everyday life. Rosso said criticism of government projects would always come.

“You can never please everyone,” he said.

But he said the government must continue working to connect people. The Pangu Highway, being developed under Connect PNG, is part of that effort to improve the road link between Port Moresby and Lae and connect communities along the way.

For Rosso, the most powerful part of the journey was not the kilometres covered. It was the people waiting beside the road. They waved. They shared food. They welcomed the convoy. And they showed him why better roads matter.

After travelling through the night and into the day, Rosso arrived in Lae. But the journey had already given him something the opening ceremony could not. A firsthand reminder that for many Papua New Guineans, a road is a connection to a better life.