Enhancing interoperability between state agencies and regulators using technology, is something that must be further improved to enable the ease of doing business in Papua New Guinea (PNG).
This was stressed by the Minister for Information and Communication Technology, Tomothy Masiu when highlighting its importance during the 2nd Business Regulators Forum in Port Moresby city.
The minister made mention that it was for this reason to enhance this connectivity between regulators like NICTA or the National Energy Authority with the government agencies that the national government has invested in significant strides in adopting digital transformation in the last four years.
“The government has put in place the necessary policy and legal frameworks including the Digital Transformation Policy 2020, and the Digital Government Plan 2023 t0 2027,” said Minister Masiu.
He said interoperability will make conducting economic activities easier for business communities.
“The easier the business processes are, it will encourage more citizens to engage and operate MSMEs and SMEs creating more income generation and employment opportunities. This will contribute towards growing PNG economy that will ultimately result in the improvement of the citizen’s livelihoods.
Minister Masiu said in line with this target is one of his Ministry’s major initiatives, which is the Citizen’s e- Government Portal, stating that this portal represents the top layer of the PNG Government technology Stack and is designed to be a central platform for various government basic transactional services.
“We plan to launch on 12th September this year,” Masiu said.
“Furthermore, the Secure Data Exchange Platform project, which my department is actively pursuing, is anticipated to be launched as part of the fourth version of the e-Government Portal. This platform will facilitate secure and seamless data sharing between government entities and will be a cornerstone of our digital transformation strategy.”
In addition to the e-Government Portal, Minister Masiu said the G2B (government to business) Single Window Project, driven by the Ministry for International Trade, represents the government’s dedicated efforts to create a Government to Business Portal.
“This initiative is focused on streamlining and optimizing regulatory business processes, making it easier for businesses and foreign investors to interact with government agencies.”
Meantime, Minister Masiu encouraged the participants at the Summit to identify synergies among government entities and regulatory agencies.
“Together, we can provide policy recommendations that align with our national goals and drive meaningful change. Our collective insights will inform the government’s strategic decision, ensuring that our policies are responsive to emerging challenges and opportunities,” stated the minister.