The Independent State of Papua New Guinea (hereinafter referred to as PNG) is composed of over 600 islands, large and small, centered on New Guinea Island, which is traversed by a central mountain range of 3,000 to 4,000 meters in height. The rugged terrain and dense tropical rainforests divide major cities and the national territory. Consequently, the movement of people and goods along the coastlines or between islands heavily relies on maritime and air transport. Among these, maritime transport is particularly crucial for the transport of goods.

The National Transport Strategy (NTS), formulated in 2013, defined development policies for the transport sector over the next 20–30 years, emphasizing the critical role of port facility expansion in the sector’s growth. However, the functions and division of responsibilities among government-related agencies in port administration were unclear, and the Department of Transport (DOT) suffered from a lack of personnel and capacity, preventing the smooth and proper administration of ports.

Against this backdrop, the “Port Policy and Administrative Capacity Development Project” (hereinafter referred to as “Phase 1”) was implemented from 2014 to 2017. Through this project, foundational port administration methods were transferred, and a port ledger for 115 port facilities was developed.

To further enhance the efficiency of port policy and administrative operations within the DOT, Phase 2 of the “Port Policy and Administrative Capacity Development Project” is being implemented as a technical cooperation project by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) from 2022 to 2025. With the cooperation of key agencies such as PNG Ports Corporation Limited (PNGPCL) and the National Maritime Safety Authority (NMSA), the focus of the project is on strengthening the capacity for collecting and analyzing port statistical information by clarifying the roles of related agencies and building a port information database.