Rural Entrepreneurship, Investment and Trade (STREIT) Programme

The EU-STREIT PNG Programme, with a budget of 89.8 million USD, is the largest EU-funded initiative in the Asia – Pacific region aimed at improving rural livelihoods in the East and West Sepik Provinces of Papua New Guinea. Its primary focus is on enhancing cocoa, vanilla and fisheries value chains while providing crucial support to value chain enablers. The Programme is being implemented in close collaboration with the Government of Papua New Guinea, as a UN-joint initiative led by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The programme emphasizes sustainable and climate resilient actions to improve - access to energy, rural transport infrastructure, financial inclusion, productivity, and agribusiness in the cocoa, fisheries, and vanilla value chains to foster and stimulate rural development activities.

The integrated strategic objectives of the program are:

• Increased economic return from the selected value chains in the program area focusing on sustainable production and inclusiveness of the cocoa, vanilla, and fisheries (riverine, coastal and aquaculture) value chains. Major outputs include  increased volume, value and improved quality of cocoa, vanilla and fisheries products, more value addition and an increased number of enterprises and people engaging in and benefitting from income increases and enhanced household food security and nutrition and; 
• Strengthened, climate resilient and efficient value chain enablers aiming for a more conducive business, trade, policy, and regulatory environment for sustainable rural agripreneurs and Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs); This includes enhanced value chain support services resilient to climate change impacts; increased production and access to renewable energy systems and improved and climate proof rural transport infrastructure. Major outputs include an increased number of people employed and agripreneurs and MSMEs benefitting from reduced transaction cost and time, improved access to finance, increased availability and use of digital tools and services, more renewable energy, improved energy efficiency and better transport to such as  rehabilitated and maintained roads, jetties and landing sites.

The programme is built on four mutually reinforcing pillars i) business enabling environment ii) key support services for development of value chains iii) climate-proof physical infrastructures (including transport, telecommunication, and renewal energy) iv) community engagement, particularly focussing on women and youth. 

ILO is responsible for the transport infrastructure component of the programme with a budget of 22.3 million USD to improve market access for the farmers through: 

• Routine maintenance of 312 km of roads using established and trained local community contracting groups.
•  Rehabilitation of 207 km of roads using local companies identified through national competitive bidding processes. 
• Restoration/rehabilitation of 5 community airstrips in partnership with the Rural Airstrips Agency of PNG Limited. 
• Construction and/or rehabilitation of 5 jetties and boat ramps using local companies identified through national competitive bidding processes.
• Waterways clearance of 215km of Sepik river tributaries using local level governments community wards to enhance water transport.
• Creation of 390,000 person days of decent work employment with 51% being women and 33% youth. 

These rural transport infrastructures are being rehabilitated and/or constructed and maintained using employment intensive and local resources-based approaches as much as feasible. This increases local community participation in the works hence enhancing their  sense of ownership, generating employment and spurring growth of MSMEs and the local construction industry.

In addition, the ILO is undertaking capacity development activities such as 

• Capacity building of 860 youths, local companies, and counterpart government officials in collaboration with  PNG University of Technology and Yawasoro Technical, Vocational and Educational Training Centre. 
• Development of a web-based rural transport information management system (RUTIMS) to rank and prioritize roads rehabilitation and enhance planning through the development of  provincial road transport master plan (PRTMP).
• Development of policy guidelines and manuals for Rehabilitation and Routine Maintenance, Occupational Health and Safety as well as Environmental and Social Safeguards for rural roads  for the PNG Department of Works and Highways.
• Review, and update of work specifications for roads and bridges, and productivity norms for rural road works the Department of Works and Highways.