Electricity pylon. Photo: AFP
There's a warning for New Zealand, Japan and United States about their plans to bolster rural electrification in Papua New Guinea.
The plans were unveiled during last month's APEC summit in Port Moresby, with the stated aim of providing electricity to 70 percent of the country by 2030.
But New Zealand Aid and Development Dialogues is issuing a note of caution.
Its spokesperson Terence Wood said the first hurdle was the diverse and challenging physical environment.
"But then above and beyond that Papua New Guinea is also a poorly governed country. It is a country where there is very little commitment from the government to maintain existing infrastructure. So you see roads that are run down, you see parts of the country that have received electricity in the past and don't receive it anymore, simply because the government doesn't devote any of its own spending or attention to maintaining existing infrastructure," he said.
