DOWH PILLAR OF INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT 50 YEARS ON

By Sandra ULG

The Department of Works and Highways (DOWH) has been the pillar of infrastructure development driving connectivity and growing through constructions of roads, bridges, and essential public facilities since independence.

Works and Highways Minister Solan Mirism said this during the Department’s 50th Golden Jubilee logo launch to commemorate PNG’s 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations on Tuesday 04th March, 2025.

Minister Mirisim stated that since independence in 1975, the Department’s journey has been one resilience growth and transformation from early days of building the country’s first highways and bridges to the modern era of smart infrastructure.

He says DOWH has been at the heartbeat of the nation’s progress and if it was not for the Department of Works and Highways there would not be any roads in the country.

He highlighted that DOWH moved from just building roads to building economic corridors linking the rural communities to new opportunities.

Mirism says in 2020 and beyond, Papua New Guinea embarked on a new era of strategic infrastructure investment with a program called PNG Connect, an ambitious 20-year plan designed to unify the country to a fully integrated national road network.

He stated that DOWH will be building the future shifting into the next chapter of 50 years. By 2040, the government envisions a country where no village is left isolated, where every province is connected by modern biometric highways, and engineers and builders will lead this passive innovation. And By 2050, in aligning with PNG’s Vision 2050, the goal is to become a smart, innovative, and competitive nation, one where infrastructure is powered by green energy, digital energy, and intelligent engineering.