Nabilah S
Timothy Masiu, the Minister for Information and Communication Technology, went to the 17th Internet Governance Forum, where he met with top ICT business leaders and policymakers from Africa and Europe.
During the talks, Masiu pointed out that Papua New Guinea, a developing country in the Pacific Region, could learn a lot from the African countries and how they have formed an alliance to move forward with their Digital Agenda.
PNG and the other countries in the Pacific region need to work together to make a Regional Agenda that addresses these global issues. He said, “PNG is now embracing digital transformation, and Digital Skills are important parts of building a strong internet ecosystem in the region.”
He said that the PNG government works with universities to promote digital skills. The department is also looking into ways to help the SME sector in this area so that digital skills and entrepreneurship can help farmers, which is vital for the Digital Economy.
Minister Masiu said that PNG is working on its Recent Broadband plan and Universal Access Policy to support meaningful connectivity.
The foundation for an inclusive digital transformation is affordable, accessible, and dependable infrastructure. “Our National Broadband Plan and the new UAS policy will put us on track to meet our country’s Sustainable Development Targets and the goals outlined in Agenda 2030,” said Minister Masiu.
Doreen Bogdan-Martin, the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the other panelists all agreed that meaningful connectivity is essential and a crucial part of using digital services on a national and global scale.
The ITU Secretary-General concluded that collaboration and coordination are essential to this agenda. There’s no need to make something new, but working together to determine what went wrong and what worked would help speed up digital development in this area.
