Dream to create Technology ‘Silicon Valley of the Pacific’

The Papua New Guinea Digital Information Communication Technology Cluster aims to create a “Silicon Valley of the Pacific” with the opening of a technical laboratory in Port Moresby Tuesday.

Following the opening of the laboratory there will be the official launch of the PNG Digital Information Communication Technology cluster at the Bankers College today, that is sponsored by ExxonMobil and other cooperate organisations.

Although the idea may sound new, it was an initiative of European Union but was abandoned due to lack of leaders. However, the Minister for Justice and Attorney General David Steven came to realise the idea of ITC cluster in the PNG trade policy.

Having interest in the idea, Davis took the idea further and gathered the founding members to create the organsiation with an aim and vision is to make PNG “the Silicon Valley of the Pacific”.

The PNG Digital ITC cluster is an association for technicians, mathematics, marketing and ITC professionals to come together to share innovation and develop software, programs and technologies in the country.

An organisation that is similar to the Silicon Valley in USA, that developed Bill Gates and its Microsoft, the Facebook inventor Mark Zuckerberg, the investor of Twitter and other software and technologies in use around the world.

In making the vision a reality, Elizabeth Saunders, the chief of staff programme director at the University of California, Silicon Valley, USA arrived in the country to witness the opening of the technical laboratory and the launching of the organisation.

Founding Patron of PNG Digital Information Communication Technology Cluster during the opening of the laboratory at the ITI centre at Badili, said the idea is to bring in professionals including young software engineers, technicians, engineers and other professionals in the field of ITC to develop software, computer programs, E-business ideas and many other developments in the field of information, communication and technology.

Davis said while many may perceive it as unrealistic, some local brains have already developed softwares and programs that are now being used in the country and that includes the software now used by the Department of Education to address the issue of tuition fee free education, developed by a software engineer from Telefomin, similarly there is another Morobean who designed the software and device like the pay being used by PNG Power.

“This is a testimony that we have the willpower and intelligence of our own citizens are already doing but we need to create opportunities to harness the emerging sector and put in place policies and legal framework that will require us to be leaders in the region,” he said.

SOURCE: POST COURIER/PNGeHOw

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