Celebrating 50 years of Official Development Assistance to Papua New Guinea

Both PNG and Japan celebrated their significant milestone of 50^th Anniversary of Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) to PNG at the ceremony on Thursday 17^th October at the Hilton Hotel in Port Moresby.

The event was hosted by the Government of Papua New Guinea, Embassy of Japan, and Japan International Cooperation Agency, with many government authorities and other organizations sponsoring.
　
More than 200 guests including Prime Minister, Ministers, Members of Parliament, Government of PNG Officials, Diplomatic Delegations, Donor Officials, UN Officials, Private Sector members, NGO members, etc. attended the event.

In his speech, Mr. HATAEDA Mikio, Senior Vice President of JICA, mentioned the support to the National Fisheries College in Kavien through grant aid, which was the first ODA project to the country in 1974, and various cooperation have been carried out since then. He also mentioned that, in line with JICA’s vision of “Leading the World with Trust”, both countries will continue to cooperate to overcome the various challenges.

Prime Minister Hon. James Marape described that Japan as a “Sincere and Genuine Friend” and was one of the first countries to extend a helping hand to PNG even before its independence. He expressed his gratitude for Japan’s continuous cooperation and stated his hope to further strengthen its relationship in areas such as private investment and trade, thereby contributing to the development of both countries.

JICA will continue to work closely with people and the government of PNG for the socio-economic development of the country.