The National Identification Project is not a failed one says Minister for National Planning and Monitoring, Charles Abel.
Speaking to Loop PNG, Abel said the only issue was getting registrations going as people were slowly coming forward to register.
Abel said the physical network has already rolled out with the building of the NID House, the establishment of IT networks in place, and the opening of fixed provincial offices.
“It’s absolutely not a failed project,” said Abel.
“It’s just were having issues for people to come in and register but the physical network is rolled out and were trying our best by the end of this year to have all the fixed offices up and running and then we will support it with the mobile registration process.”
His comments follow rumours and allegations of mismanagement of the NID project and that it has failed miserably.
Abel further stated that similar to other capital projects, monetary allocations were cut in the 2016 Supplementary Budget.
He said they’ve had to ration the funding they have to ensure operations were maintained throughout the country.
“Were working within our means to be as efficient as possible with the capital we have.”
“Many of the fixed offices have been prepaid for so its not so much a matter of funding but a matter of executing, (and) going through and making sure the contract is delivered with the infrasture.
“We get in the staffing and the telecommunications and then the recurrent budget to ensure that the wages are paid and the water and so on, so the offices are functioning and then we can concentrate on customer service,” said Abel.