The Institute of Public Administration in Port Moresby has been renamed the Pacific Institute of Leadership and Governance (PILAG).
Funded by the Australian and PNG governments, the institution is focused on enhancing public sector performance with a particular emphasis on the extension of programs to the subnational level through regional training centres, and delivery in the regions, provinces and districts.
Minister for Public Service, Elias Kapavore, said the institution provides organisational needs-based training focused on ethical leadership, strategic planning, corporate services and management processes.
He said despite the challenges that many institutions go through, most of them are still moving ahead daily on what is available at hand and there seems to be a missing link.
“What is missing is a good, strong, decisive and accountable and responsible leadership that we need to see today in our institutions. That is the missing link.”
Kapavore said leadership cannot exist without the sense of purpose, accountability and responsibility and to achieve something, there must be conviction to see tangible change for service delivery.
He challenged that ownership must come from all the public servants today and that the mindset must change and it must start from PILAG, as this will have an effect on the entire country as the years come by.
Meantime, the Australian High Commissioner to PNG, Bruce Davis, sharing similar sentiments acknowledged the passing of a great institution to be replaced with an even greater institution with a rich history.
“Leadership and governance clearly is a very important aspect of public administration and policy regardless of its locality and it is a great initiative on the part of many who have played a role to move towards the new agenda of a great institution,” says Davis.