PNG targets local capacity gap in push for digital sovereignty

Papua New Guinea has concluded a five-year partnership deal that aims to move the country closer towards self-reliance in its digital public infrastructure (DPI) development and broader digital transformation pursuits. This is in the area of ICT skills and artificial intelligence (AI) development, training, research, and digital innovation.

This follows the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the PNG’s Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the country’s International Training Institute (ITI).

According to a government announcement, the collaboration specifically seeks to build capacity through “curriculum enhancement, internships, corporate training, staff upskilling, and the joint development of AI-driven use cases aligned with national digital transformation goals.” The deal underscores the fact that real digital sovereignty requires local expertise and ownership, as relying entirely on foreign vendors for AI and ICT management is viewed as a long-term risk.

The move comes as many countries round the world are trying to leverage AI for DPI implementation in order to streamline the delivery of public services. Many countries are also developing AI and ICT skills development strategies to better advance their digital transformation ambitions.

While some countries are taking these steps, many others are launching ambitious digital ID and AI programs but lack the local technical workforce to maintain them.

PNG’s move therefore represents a shift from viewing digital transformation as purely a hardware or software issue, to recognizing it as a skills and governance challenge which can be tackled through institution partnerships like this one.

It also underscores the contributions of PNG’s education sector in driving transformation because the country believes that without this skills pipeline, digital infrastructure like its SevisPass digital ID and other DPI components risks becoming obsolete or insecure due to a lack of local maintenance and oversight. The country is also laying the legal frameworks foundation for its verifiable credentials architecture.

Both parties agree that a joint Technical Working Group will be put in place to oversee the implementation of the partnership.

“We want to progress, we are also going into IT and AI, so this is something we would like to do, to find out where we can share,” ITI Chairman and Co-Founder, Senthil Kumaran Sentheyval, said of the partnership.

DICT Secretary Steven Matainaho emphasized the importance of AI nothing that “AI alone is nothing, but AI pegged to a use case – that’s where you start to see the value.” He mentioned the usefulness of AI integration, particularly for SMEs, as it can help them “reduce costs, improve efficiency, and open access to new markets.”

National ID hackathon

In terms of innovation, one activity in this regard is PNG’s National Digital ID Hackathon 2026 for which registration is ongoing, and will end on June 21.

The idea is to create the next generation of the country’s innovators who can “build Digital ID solutions that matter for real people, real communities, and real impact.”

DICT organizes the hackathon in partnership with MicroSave Consulting which is also involved in the ID4Afric digital ID hackathon initiative.

In its second edition this year, the PNG Digital ID Hackathon is accepting entries for higher education institutions and financial services tracks, and will run from July 20-23.

Partnerships for digital sovereignty

Meanwhile, PNG is also leveraging its digital cooperation with Australia to enhance its digital sovereignty agenda.

Acting ICT Minister Hon. Peter Tsiamalili Jr and Australia’s Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology, Jessica Hunter, had discussions recently on the development of the Pacific Digital and AI Principles.

Tsiamalili said the principles would “promote digital sovereignty, responsible adoption of artificial intelligence, regional resilience, transparency, accountability, and value-for-money digital investments across the Pacific.”

In May, the US offered support to the tune of $30 million to boost PNG’s work on connectivity, which is essential for digital transformation.

PNG also recently joined the 50-in-5 campaign as its partner network to support DPI rollout broadens.

Article Topics

digital government  |  digital ID infrastructure  |  digital public infrastructure  |  digital sovereignty  |  investment  |  Papua New Guinea  |  research and development