Francis Galia Maneke, has officially taken over the Communication and Information Technology portfolio from outgoing minister, Jimmy Miringtoro.
The handover ceremony was at the National Broadcasting Commission headquarters in Port Moresby today, witnessed by NBC staff, partners and stakeholders in the sector.
Making it official, Miringtoro presented Maneke a report entailing a brief of outstanding matters or Work in Progress (WIP) which he, as the new minister will take on, in accordance with the priorities and agenda of the current government.
One urgent need, Miringtoro said, was the proper establishment of the department, as it still exists as “Office of information” properly articulating its functions.
He also stressed the urgency to review the seven year old NICTA Act.
“There are many gaps in the current legislation which will need to be addressed in the review, and most importantly, the role of the department in the development and policy oversight of the ICT sector,” he said.
He said instructions to review the legislation was given in writing to NICTA and the department in early 2015.
However, to date, Miringtoro said there has been no coordination to effect this directive which is still outstanding.
Reduced funding, coupled with the rundown state of NBC’s infrastructure, both technical and property assets, were also highlighted as an area to look into.