The Papua New Guinea Information and Communication Technology Department with the support of the Australian Government have improved Telecommunication capacity by establishing terrestrial and submarine high-capacity fibre optic cables connecting PNG with Australia and Solomon Islands.
This was highlighted amongst other achievements from different sectors which have been achieved by the Marape Basil Government since occupying the office on the 30th of May 2019.
Prime Minister Honorable James Marape was pleased to announced their achievements on an occasion that was hosted on Thursday the 24th of June 2021 in Port Moresby.
Since taking over the office as the 8th Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Hon. James Marape was so happy they have achieved a lot in every sector with a theme of “Growing the rural economy, leaving no one behind”.
He stated that Papua New Guinea has also invested heavily in domestic fibre cables including the Kumul Submarine and the LNG Fibre Optic Cables to which these Multilateral and bilateral investments will greatly improve access to communication services.
“Other achievements in this sector were the launching of the ICT Sector Roadmap on the 22nd of November 2019 and endorsement of the National Digitization Transformation Policy 2020”.
Prime Minister Marape stated that these initiatives will compliment and support the government’s focus on e-government through electronic dissemination of information in real time, and enabling the Regulator to reduce the cost of communication and internet services.
He added that, at the height of the pandemic, the Government was able to successfully coordinate the implementation of the Government’s COVID-19 Communications Strategy and the revitalization of provincial radio stations.
He admitted that the last two years have not been smooth, however despite these circumstances and the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic which has weighed heavily on our economy.
“I must say that unlike other economies, we are abundantly blessed by the Almighty with natural resources such as, the rich flora and fauna, diverse and unique cultural heritage, and our strong faith in Christianity. These elements are fundamental to my government’s development agenda since assuming office”.
“As a game changer, I believe in real and meaningful delivery of services and less rhetoric. The focus of my government has always been to grow the rural economy through Agriculture, Small and Medium Enterprises, and economic infrastructure development”, stated PM Marape.
Statement