Churches start NICTA sensitization training

The first 50 participants from member churches of the PNG Council of Churches (PNG CC) have undergone sensitization with the National Information and Communication Technology Authority.

The one day regional workshop was held yesterday in Mt Hagen, seeing representatives attend from seven provinces in Highlands region. Each provinces had at least 6 – 7 participants.

This is the first of four regional workshops, funded by NICTA, to sensitize those who will be involved in the Sim Card registration process.

PNG CC entered into a partnership with the state early this week, to use their vast network, to capture the rest of the 1.5 million subscribers, who are yet to be registered.

NICTA CEO, Charles Punaha who just returned from Mt Hagen, said from the attendance and level of commitment expressed, the first workshop was successful.

He said it was agreed that all churches will submit names of volunteers to Digicel PNG, who will then determine the number of subscribers in each location and conduct a training for these volunteers.

Punaha said the training conducted by Digicel is on the actual registration process and what each volunteers are required to do.

The sensitization workshop will cost NICTA K300 thousand.

The next workshop will be in Kokopo next week, to cover the NGI region with the final week of February to see two more workshops, one in Lae to cover the Momase region and another one in Port Moresby, for the Southern region.

Punaha said part of what will be covered in the regional workshop is touching on issues people have been raising, such as collecting persona data.

Furthermore, Punaha said NICTA also hopes to do provincial workshops, but is still negotiating with service providers to assist with funding.

He said this exercise is estimated to cost K1.5 million, and should target only those provinces facing challenges and are seeing slow registrations.

Author: 
Gloria Bauai