The Minister for Information and Communications Technology Hon. Timothy Masiu officially launched the first of its kind, the Government to Government (G2G) conference and workshop of all Government and State Agencies’ Digital Transformation Officers (DTO( at the Hilton Hotel in Port Moresby today (Thursday 10 November 2022).
Minister Masiu described the DTOs Workshop as a significant milestone for the country’s digital transformation journey.
He highlighted the important provisions of the Digital Government Act 2022 that is the key to driving the digital transformation agenda.
The Act puts in place essential governance frameworks which include :
- the provision of Digital Transformation Officers (referred to as DTOs) across Public Service to be the deliverers of digital transformation within each public body;
- Establishment of the Public Service ICT Steering Committee to coordinate the digital transformation journey; and
- Establishment of the Public Service ICT Audit Committee to oversee commissioning and enforcement of ICT audit activities.
The Digital Government Act 2022 also establishes essential operations and programs which include:
- Establishment of a National Cyber Security Centre to monitor, secure, prevent, and investigate cyber threats across all of our critical digital infrastructures;
- Establishment of a Private Government Cloud and Private Government Network for secure storage and transmission of data and services;
- Provisioning of a Central eGovernment Portal to serve as a ‘one-stop-shop’ for all of government information and services to Government, Businesses, and our People; and Provisioning for development and use of shared services across all public service.
Mr Masiu added that the final provision of the Act, ensures that systems of government can be streamlined and fully integrated by providing:
- Open and Closed API frameworks and standards;
- A framework on how data should be collected, stored, and shared; and
- Provisioning a wide range of standards pertaining to digital infrastructure and digital services.
Minister Masiu told participants that this important piece of legislation now sets the foundation to transform the public service.
“I understand that you all have been nominated as the Digital Transformation Officer for your respective agencies. This means you are now responsible for leading the digital transformation journey in your agency.”
“This DTOs’ Workshop serves as a critical milestone and now unpack all the efforts my department has made to commence our journey.”
Minister Masiu stated that these efforts include among others, the cloud based digital building blocks, government shared services, and cyber security initiatives.
“One important effort is the training and capacity building’, said the Minister.
“As Minister, I have spent the last 11 months negotiating capacity building opportunities with development partners and organizations including the Australian Government, the ITU, the Internet Governance Forum and the Global Forum for Cyber Expertise (GFCE) and we have piloted a few already within the National Cyber Security Centre.”
Minister Masiu said both the Ministry and the Department will commit to working closely with these partners to step up on capacity building programs and explore options with the Ministry for Public Services on introducing special allowances for those that obtain specialized ICT skills.
He added, this Government, and particularly the Ministry for ICT have done their part to introduce the Digital Government Act 2022 and it is now their turn to work under this legal framework to drive the digital transformation agenda in the public sector, and it will only happen if we work collaboratively and coordinate well
Minister Masiu thanked the ICT Managers, System Administrators, Network Engineers, IT Technical Officers, Cyber Analysts, and Partners of the Ministry of ICT , especially the PNG University of Technology , PNG Business Council, Development Partners and Stakeholders.