Pacific Transport Sector Assessment, Strategy, and Road Map 2021–2025

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• Publisher: Asian Development Bank
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9789292629434
• eBook ISBN: 9789292629441
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Transportation Industry
• Index: Business

This publication highlights key transport issues in the Pacific developing member countries of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and sets out ADB's planned 2021–2025 transport sector operations in the region. These operations, based on domestic and regional sector priorities and ADB's Strategy 2030, aim to help countries prepare for and respond to shocks, deliver sustainable services, and promote inclusive growth. The publication covers maritime, land, and urban transport; aviation; and intermodal connectivity. It discusses climate change adaptation and disaster risk management, regional cooperation and integration, institutional capacity, gender equality, land ownership, and procurement. It is linked to ADB's Pacific Approach strategy document.

IIIADB SECTOR EXPERIENCE AND APPROACH

Passenger ferry services in Ebeye, Marshall Islands.

Guided by ADB’s Strategy 2030 and Pacific Approach, operations in the Pacific transport sector seek to (i) prepare for and respond to shocks, (ii) deliver sustainable services, and (iii) support inclusive growth in all of the Pacific DMCs. The region’s unique geography, sociopolitical structures, and economic context require a specialized approach to designing and implementing projects. ADB’s operations in the Pacific transport sector build on 5 decades of experience supporting unique regional circumstances.

Sector Experience

ADB has been active in the Pacific transport sector since 1972, making it one of the first development partners to support connectivity in the region. Through its long-standing support, ADB has helped identify a number of region-specific constraints and has developed a series of approaches to help the Pacific DMCs overcome them.

ADB is supporting the Pacific DMCs to plan, build, and maintain their connectivity infrastructure. Transport projects account for more than 59% of the total value of ADB’s portfolio in the Pacific. ADB’s transport portfolio comprised 17 projects valued at more than $1.4 billion at the end of 2019, with an additional 27 projects valued at $2.3 billion in the pipeline for 2020–2023. ADB’s support for the transport sector is bridging gaps to drive more prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable growth in the Pacific region.

Maritime

ADB is supporting maritime transport with physical investments alongside capacity building. ADB is supporting Nauru to upgrade the main commercial port in Aiwo, which will strengthen its resilience to climate change, increase its port capacity, and improve the efficiency of its port operations. Planned projects in Apia (Samoa), Nuku’alofa (Tonga), as well as Honiara (Solomon Islands) will upgrade the existing ports to increase vessel and transshipment capacity, while significantly improving safety, security, and climate resilience. ADB’s investments in commercial ports are deepening regional cooperation and integration to support economic growth, and reducing the cost of goods and services for people across the Pacific.

ADB is also helping to reduce poverty and inequality and promote rural development by upgrading maritime transport assets on remote islands. Upgrading rural wharves and jetties increases access to markets and opportunities while enhancing the safety of people and goods.

Sector lending in Fiji and Solomon Islands is supporting the respective governments to improve connectivity between the outer islands and major urban centers, with a focus on more resilient docking facilities. Projects in Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu are improving remote maritime infrastructure alongside navigation and safety equipment. Complementary capacity building for maritime safety organizations and private ship operators is improving the security of passengers and goods, and increasing the frequency of interisland transport services.

Aviation

Since 2010, ADB has supported Papua New Guinea to rehabilitate and upgrade national airports to develop safe, effective, and reliable aviation services. Investments have focused on ground-side improvements such as strengthening and extending runways, navigational safety, and security fencing. Capacity building is helping the government to plan and manage future investments in the aviation sector, and to achieve compliance with standards set by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) of Papua New Guinea.⁶ In the next phase, ADB will build on an ongoing program by linking national airports with all-weather rural airstrips, institutional development, and capacity development of aviation sector agencies.

Programmatic lending in Papua New Guinea has helped provide a long-term vision for its aviation subsector and is improving safety conditions and operations in 22 national airports. The program is also building the capacity of domestic stakeholders to manage and maintain all assets.

Land Transport

Since 2010, ADB has helped its Pacific DMCs construct or upgrade 1,032 kilometers of roads, while ongoing projects will construct additional 1,173 kilometers by 2022. Upgrading road networks and providing regular maintenance extend their economic life, and create opportunities for local businesses and communities to engage in the development process. ADB is helping its Pacific DMCs to overcome the “build, neglect, rebuild” paradigm by focusing on the sustainable management of road networks.

Safety is also a key area for ADB’s loans and grants in the road subsector. Improved safety furniture, such as signage, guardrails, street markings, and walkways, is helpi...

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• I. Sector Assessment: Context and Strategic Issues
• II. Sector Strategy
• III. ADB Sector Experience and Approach
• Footnotes
• Back Cover