Akon headlines PNG’s 50th Independence celebration concert

Lae’s main market will undergo a major transformation to provide a cleaner and safer environment for vendors and shoppers, Lae MP John Rosso has announced.

Rosso said delivering a well-managed and properly equipped marketplace for vendors, particularly women, has been a key goal since he was first elected. He explained that tough decisions—such as settling long-standing debts and reorganising the market administration—were necessary to prepare for redevelopment.

With the market now generating its own income, Rosso said it was easier to attract backing from international partners, notably Australia and New Zealand, who have agreed to support the project.

Planned features for the new facility include disability access, a bank branch with ATM, CCTV security systems, solar panels, rainwater catchment, and modern toilets and showers. There will also be designated areas for all Morobe districts and a special section for Highlands vendors.

 Modern Lae Main Market in PNG  Planned With Support from Australia and New Zealand [photo supplied]

“We want our mothers to be treated with dignity,” Rosso told residents, underlining the market’s focus on providing a safe, respectful environment for women traders.

He added that parts of the former market site will be turned into a mini museum, honouring its past as a government sawmill that supplied local timber and later served during wartime before closing in 1962, paving the way for the market built in the mid-1960s.

Australian High Commissioner Ewen McDonald confirmed that a local company will handle construction and that about 20 men and women will join a trade-training scheme to gain certified practical skills during the build.

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