Japan supports plan to develop ‘Garden city’ in Lae

Lae is PNG's second largest city. Photo shows rising skyline of the city. 

JAPAN has thrown its support behind the development of the Lae-Nadzab corridor into the “Garden city” of Morobe.

A team of 17 Japanese experts are in Lae working on the development of the Lae-Nadzab urban development plan with the Government.

Japanese ambassador Morio Matsumoto and Japan International Cooperation Agency chief representative Shigeru Sugiyama were in Lae this week to discuss the plan further with Morobe province officials.

The Government had requested Japan to review the urban development plan and come up with a new one for 2016-2025.

The plan includes sectors such as roads, water, sewerage, transportation, housing, land use, disaster management and social services. 

“The new plan has the vision of making the Lae-Nadzab area the Garden city of Morobe as well as PNG, ensuring social amenity and comfortable urban spaces through effective and efficient land use,” a Japanese government brief said.

“One of the characteristics of the new plan is that it will be based on the industrial development promotion.

“Lae-Nadzab area already has a small but emerging manufacturing sector and it has the potential to become a bigger industrial, manufacturing and distribution centre of PNG.

“Industrial development will ease the social unrest and safety issue the area faces currently.” 

The National / ONE PNG