In connection with Asian Development Bank’s Water Operator Twinning Partnership Program between Water PNG as mentor and Kiribati Public Utilities Board (PUB) as recipient, Water PNG will be participating in the Recipient visit to Port Moresby and Lae from the 10^th – the 15^th of March 2014.

The Public Utilities Board of Kiribati (PUB) will visit Papua New Guinea to observe model operational practices and systems that would benefit them.  This visit will include, but is not limited to, field visits, interaction with technical and operational staff in a series of small group discussions and meetings to drive the development of the twinning partnership.

As part of the one week program PUB will be discussing policy & administrative matters including challenges on operational & customer service challenges in Water PNG network of operations.

This visit to PNG follows an initial visit to Kiribati by WPNG’s Chief Executive – Managing Director and General Manager Customer Service during October of 2012.

Water PNG took up the challenge to mentor a smaller Pacific PUB when the Pacific Water Association in its 2012 Annual Forum put out the invitation for bigger Utilities in the Pacific to provide mentorship.

Following this invitation under this Twinning Partnership Program, Water PNG was selected last year to be a mentor and transfer knowledge, innovations, and best practices to the Public Utilities Board of Kiribati (PUB).

Water PNG General Manager Mr. Joseph Yore said: “Water PNG and the Public Utilities Board of Kiribati have entered into a Twinning Partnership arrangement whereby WPNG will assist PUB with their Customer Services Program in terms of their service standards, billing, front desk services, office layouts and general customer services agendas.”

Mr. Yore said the visit will give the PUB an appreciation of the WPNG set up in PNG, more so in Lae, where they will visit this Tuesday. 

Chief Executive – Managing Director Raka Taviri Jr. said: “We are pleased to be involved in this ongoing partnership program as part of the Pacific Water Sector in the form of Water Operators Partnerships (WOP) or twining partnership. He said this is a first for any Pacific Water Utility to twin with another Pacific Utility because traditionally the expert twins are either from Australia or New Zealand.

Mr. Taviri: “It’s a powerful networking and learning mechanism when professional organisations combine their individual strengths and work together towards a vision of sustainable water management for the future, the result is something greater than what could be achieved individually.”

Meanwhile ADB’s Director for Sustainable Infrastructure Division said this is an important twinning partnership program and they looked forward to Water PNG’s participation.

This partnership will also enable water utilities to improve service coverage and delivery, financial sustainability, and other aspects of their performance.

This twinning partnership is part of the ADB’s Water Financing Program to support water utilities in the Pacific through the provision of funding and technical assistance.