PNG NID, biometrics program questioned but digital ID seen as ‘necessity’

Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Administration Richard Masere came under fire in Parliament as MPs questioned the stalled National Identification (NID) and biometrics rollout and the outdated electoral roll.

During Question Time, Jiwaka Governor Simon Kaiwi challenged Masere to explain why the electoral roll has not been updated and why thousands of newly eligible 18-year-olds remain unregistered.

Kaiwi warned that the issue threatens the integrity of upcoming local-level government elections and the 2027 National General Elections. Several other MPs joined the call for clarity on the NID and biometric program, which has experienced long delays in issuing identity cards and integrating biometric data.

Masere defended his ministry’s overall reform agenda but stopped short of committing to a firm timetable for completing the NID rollout or refreshing the electoral roll, reports Papua New Guinea Post-Courier.

Officials in charge of elections have stated publicly that the country is not ready to use biometrics for voting. In November 2024, Masere said that prioritizing biometric voting and enhancing the National Identification (NID) system would combat election fraud. But the initiative has not borne fruit.

Challenges remain over limited funding, network coverage, NID infrastructure limitations, among other issues. Masere had highlighted that an accurate electoral roll is essential to reducing fraud and boosting election security.

“To make sure that our common roll is accurate, we need to have reliable data,” Masere told the MPs during Question Time this week. “There’s been queries and questions, and based on the recommendation of the parliamentary committee, there’s been concerns about the electoral roll being inflated.”

Masere continued that the population count will provide the foundation for accurate electorate numbers.

Digital identity considered a priority for PNG

Papua New Guinea’s Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is making a case that digital identity is no longer a luxury but an essential complement to the existing National Identification (NID) card.

The NID provides a foundational legal definition and social mapping of individuals, but its rollout and update processes have been slowed by logistical hurdles, prompting DICT to champion a separate Digital ID for accessing online services.

Traditional identification methods in PNG often mean lengthy waits, the risk of lost or damaged paper documents and the isolation faced by communities in remote regions. In response, the DICT envisions a digital government that makes everyday transactions simpler, faster and fairer for all citizens.

In 2024, PNG successfully ran a pilot of the SevisPass digital identity, which aims to help citizens access public and private sector services more easily and securely. It launched a “data integration exercise” for key partners, including the Civil Registry Office, banks, telcos and superannuation funds in May this year.

DICT Secretary Steven Matainaho explains the NID is the legal foundation that defines who a person is, whereas a Digital ID acts as a “functional ID” specifically designed to enrol and authenticate users for digital services. “If we were to say ‘a Digital ID is replicating NID,’” he said, “that’s just like saying a driver’s license is replicating NID. They both serve two different purposes.”

The absence of a national Digital ID system has also been cited as a key factor in Papua New Guinea’s struggles with anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CTF) compliance. A third of graylisting concerns stem from the lack of a reliable Digital ID framework to monitor transactions, according to the DICT. Many provisions of PNG’s AML/CTF Act require a digital system to operate effectively, making its implementation critical to building public and international trust.

“All of these monetization, and all the entities around that, the dependency is all coming back to digital ID,” Matainaho said. “We have to prioritize that to actually build some trust.”

By providing a secure, verifiable audit trail for online transactions, a Digital ID would dramatically reduce the anonymity criminals exploit, the department argues. Financial regulators, including the Bank of Papua New Guinea, see a robust Digital ID as indispensable for meeting global compliance standards, improving the nation’s reputation and attracting foreign investment.

Since 2023, the DICT has pursued a strategic, phased approach to digital transformation, guided by the Digital Government Act 2022 and the Digital Government Plan 2023–2027. The first priority has been building the necessary cloud infrastructure. By the end of 2024, nearly 90 percent of government agencies had migrated to a shared government cloud, standardizing everything from official websites to email domains and laying the groundwork for systems to communicate seamlessly.

“The government builds roads, and businesses and citizens use that piece of infrastructure. Digital Public Infrastructure is the same,” Matainaho said.

PNG’s cybersecurity posture has strengthened, climbing from Tier 5 to Tier 3 in the Global Cybersecurity Index between 2020 and 2024, a leap attributed to the operationalization of the National Cyber Security Centre and a new national cybersecurity strategy.

With the digital backbone in place, DICT has turned its focus outward to services citizens can use immediately. Late in 2024, it launched SevisPortal, a pilot e-government platform offering online police clearances, school fee payments and academic result notifications. The portal removes the need for multiple in-person visits, saving time and money for users.

“This moment marks a key milestone in our digital transformation journey and digitally empowered society,” Matainaho says. As PNG overcomes the twin challenges of geography and infrastructure, its leaders believe a fully fledged digital government will be an ally for development.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  civil registration  |  digital identity  |  identity management  |  national ID  |  National Identification (NID)  |  Papua New Guinea