Papua New Guinea’s push towards digital transformation received a major boost yesterday with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) and the International Training Institute (ITI) in Port Moresby.
The agreement establishes a formal framework for cooperation in key areas including ICT capacity building, workforce development, research, technical collaboration, bureaucratic enhancement and corporate executive training over the next three to five years.
The MOU was signed at the ITI Port Moresby campus by DICT Secretary Steven Matainaho, Deputy Secretary for Policy Mr. Flierl Shongol, ITI Co-Founder and Chairman Senthil Kumaran Sentheyval, and ITI Port Moresby Campus Dean of Studies Dr. Ashok Jayaraman, in the presence of staff and invited guests.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mr. Matainaho said Papua New Guinea is at a critical stage in its digital transformation journey and that partnerships between government and educational institutions are essential to building the workforce needed for the future.
“We want to transform the way we deliver services utilizing technology. We can’t do that alone,” he said.
Mr. Matainaho said this was the first MOU the department had signed with an educational institution and that it was looking at expanding similar partnerships with other institutions.
He said the partnership aligns with the Government’s broader digital transformation agenda, including its draft AI adoption framework and national AI strategy.
One of the Government’s priorities, he said, is working with local institutions and partners to accelerate AI adoption across government, business and industry.
“AI alone is nothing. But AI pegged to a use case, that’s where you start to see the value of it,” he said.
“This partnership is about exploring and incubating those ideas and use cases, and what better way to do it than with a higher education institution.”
He said the partnership would also help explore the use of ITI’s AI laboratory to develop models tailored to government, SME and industry needs.
Mr. Matainaho said AI presents significant opportunities for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by reducing barriers to market entry and lowering start-up costs.
“SME is a big part of any developing nation. You want to grow new markets and enable SMEs to have access to markets and do their businesses with ease. What better way to do that than to leverage AI,” he said.
Mr. Matainaho acknowledged ITI’s contribution to training Papua New Guineans and preparing them for opportunities in the digital economy.
He also commended the institution’s leadership in advancing discussions on artificial intelligence (AI), including its ethical use, governance and workplace applications.
ITI Chairman and Co-Founder Mr. Senthil Kumaran Sentheyval welcomed the partnership, describing it as an opportunity for both organizations to work together towards a common goal of advancing digitalization and AI in Papua New Guinea.
“At the end of the day, we’re all going in the same direction. It’s always good to work with the department to progress on that,” he said.
Mr. Sentheyval said the two organizations would establish a working group to identify additional areas of collaboration under the MOU.
He said ITI would continue contributing through training, innovation and supporting future developments in digital technologies and artificial intelligence.
“As an institution, we are there on the training side, plus being part of the innovation and the future progress on digitalization and AI,” he said.
He thanked the department for its commitment to finalizing the agreement and expressed confidence that the partnership would deliver long-term benefits for the country.
The MOU marks a significant step in strengthening collaboration between government and the education sector as Papua New Guinea seeks to build a digitally skilled workforce and accelerate the adoption of emerging technologies.