A home destroyed in tribal fighting in PNG's Highlands region. Photo / BTT Newscast
By Johnny Blades of RNZ
A New Zealand aid project in Papua New Guinea has been halted because of security concerns, and appears unlikely to be completed.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) confirmed work on the Enga Electrification Project in PNG’s Highlands region had “stopped due to ongoing violence around the project area”.
New Zealand invested $6.7 million over the last six years into the project which aimed to connect at least 4000 households in the area to electricity. It was part of combined efforts with the US, Australia and Japan to help 70% of PNG homes get connected by 2030.
However, tribal and election-related violence has surged in numerous parts of Enga Province in the past few years, with police largely unable to quell the unrest.
A spokesperson for MFAT said contractors stopped work at the site in Tsak Valley in Enga’s Wapanamanda District last August.
The choice of Enga for the electrification project was laden with risks, not just because of the high level of tribal and election-related violence, but also because of its remoteness and rugged terrain.
Development researcher Terence Wood of the Development Policy Centre said while the project’s goal was worthy, New Zealand appeared to rush into the project without giving enough thought to the complexities involved.
“You’d think very carefully about the country context, and contexts in different parts of the country, and that would guide where you work and also how you worked,” Dr Wood said.
“So violent parts of the Highlands, or the upper Highlands, of Papua New Guinea would be the last places you’re engaged with.”
He noted that large swathes of PNG’s population lack reliable access to electricity, so many rural communities in PNG would benefit from electrification, but added that challenges were compounded by the country’s poor governance.
“With work such as electricity, it’s one thing to build it, you also need a functioning Government to maintain it.
When PNG hosted the APEC Leaders Summit in 2018, the country’s Prime Minister at the time, Peter O’Neill agreed on the PNG Electrification Partnership with leaders from Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the US.
Wood said geopolitics had driven New Zealand, alongside the other countries, to plunge into the project.
“We’ve sort of jumped in thanks to a perceived threat that China might be going to engage in this type of aid work in Papua New Guinea, and because of our haste, we didn’t pay sufficient attention to some of the complexities associated with providing electricity to Papua New Guinea.
“Aid donors often race in propelled by other motivations, and therefore don’t think carefully enough about the context and about how they might design their aid work to make sure it’s effective.”
Wood said there was a high probability that the project would never be completed successfully.
Enga governor Sir Peter Ipatas, admitted that escalating tribal violence and the build-up of illegal weapons in the province had got out of hand, putting many innocent lives at risk.
“In my province, my people have taken the lawlessness to another level using modern weapons, guns, and this has been also a sign of no respect for authority.”
He said a vacuum of law enforcement made the problem worse, as Engan warlords and their fighters were rarely arrested or prosecuted for fighting and destroying villages.
However, Ipatas said the problem with the high level of Engan tribal fights was an internal one, not directed at foreigners.
“Now the guns are only used for tribal fights. Nobody outside the tribes that are involved are in any danger in our context as Engans, because you only fight your enemy. That’s the rule from our tradition.”
He urged PNG’s national government to ensure police do their job, suggesting more police assistance from Australia and New Zealand would be helpful.