Efficient customer service should be a priority for any service provider and the Investment Promotion Authority is no exception.
Addressing staff at a recent meeting, Chairman Leon Buskens said customers would be happy to pay extra for an efficient and reliable service and that is what the IPA should strive towards given the critical service it provides to the growth of the country.
Buskens reiterated the important role the IPA plays as a gate keeper in ensuring businesses were compliant with the respective regulations it administered, which fostered growth and good governance for all.
Whilst commending staff for a successful 2016, he also challenged them to lift their game this year and to continuously strive to improve their service delivery.
Buskens said this was more critical now as the organisation was self-funding with no budgetary support from the government.
“IPA has no government funding support from the 2017 budget and this may be the case for the future.
“This provides us the opportunity to critically assess our revenue sources and expenditure items and as individuals, relook at ourselves and our conduct in dispensing our responsibilities and services to our clients and generate income for our organisation,” he said.
Chairman Buskens also took the opportunity to highlight IPA’s other key achievements including;
- The implementation of the staff housing scheme
- One of only 12 public sector organisations to deliver timely audits
- Successful roll out of provincial awareness programs in Milne Bay, Manus, West New Britain, Sandaun, Bougainville and Gulf and Southern Highlands to continue this year
- Implementation of the spot inspection exercises in Sandaun and East Sepik, with plans to cover Morobe and eventually the Highlands region
- Proud recipient of the Best Public Sector Award from the PNG Human Resources Institute for the second consecutive year
- The successful hosting and maintenance of the Online Registry System (ORS) and deployment of the online Personal Property Security Registry. As a result of these regulatory reforms and others, PNG’s ratings improved in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Report in areas of starting a business and getting credits, amongst others
- Under IPA’s legislative review program, a total of five pieces of legislation have been passed thus far, including the Companies Act 2014, Business Names Act 2014, the Securities Commission Act 2015, Central Depository Act 2015 and the Capital Market Act 2015.
Commenting on the IPA Strategic Plan, Buskens also informed staff that the IPA Management is currently reviewing the 2015-2017 Strategic Plan of which 90 percent has already been implemented.
“This is a very high achievement by any standard and the Board and Management are excited about this progress.
“Management will meet with the Board early this year to discuss high level policy issues to consider in the new plan before drafting of the 2018-2020 Strategic plan.”
He challenged staff to continue to build on these achievements and to raise the IPA to the next level whilst encouraging them to ‘tap into new ideas’.
(IPA chairman Leon Buskens, centre, addressing staff in the presence of Acting Managing Director Clarence Hoot, left, and Executive Officer Ronald Maru)