During the official swearing-in of the NICTA board members this morning, NICTA acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Polume Lume, was officially sworn in as the new CEO and the Ex-Officio member of the NICTA Board.
In his response after the swearing-in, Mr. Lume thanked the Government of Papua New Guinea, the NICTA Board and all stakeholders for the confidence entrusted to him to lead this important institution as the country heads into a digital journey.
He said NICTA sits at the centre of Papua New Guinea’s digital future but undertaking a hard and honest assessment of the institution, he identified serious governance gaps, operational weakness, enforcement failures, fragmented systems and declining public confidence.
“But then we also identified enormous opportunity. An opportunity to rebuild, an opportunity to modernize, and an opportunity to restore trust. An opportunity to transform NICTA into a proactive, transparent, respected and future- ready regulator. Today, I reaffirm our commitment to four core strategic priorities that will guide NICTA moving forward for the next 5 years,” said Mr. Lume.
He listed the priorities as measurable commitments that they have already begun implementing major reforms.
1. Strengthening and improving internal governance systems,
2. Enforcing the law firmly, fairly and consistently,
3. Creating sustainable revenue streams for long-term institutional resilience, and
4. Expanding the ICT sector to unlock national economic growth.
He said, for too long, non-compliance within the sector was tolerated. That era will end with this new board and management at the helm.
A regulator that does not enforce the law cannot effectively protect consumers, uphold standards, or maintain industry confidence. Going forward, NICTA will become more visible, more responsive and more accountable in carrying out its mandate,” said Mr. Lume.
Furthermore, he emphasized that the licensing of Starlink demonstrates that Papua New Guinea is open to innovation, open to competition and serious about accelerating digital transformation. He said, this achievement is not simply about one company entering the market. It is about expanding opportunities for schools, health centers, businesses, government services, security operations, and ordinary citizens across the country.
It sends a strong message that NICTA is prepared to embrace emerging technologies while ensuring proper regulatory oversight, consumer protection, and fair market participation as Papua New Guinea enters a New Digital era.
“Satellite connectivity, digital identity systems, cybersecurity, fintech, artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure, data governance and digital public services are no longer distant concepts. They are here now.”
He aims is to see that NICTA is positioned at the forefront of all these ICT and Digital transformations, emphasizing that his vision as the CEO is to build an ICT ecosystem that is accessible and competitive.
Mr. Lume said restoring public confidence requires transparency and accountability.
