Basil, ICT and energy

I COMMEND Communication Information and Energy Minister Sam Basil for driving the energy sector through its rural electrification programme to light up Papua New Guinea, starting with his electorate of Bulolo
Since his appointment, he has demonstrated he has experience and the knowledge in the sector to deliver by hosting series of workshops and summits in the energy sector.
Congratulations.
However, Basil needs to level up activities in the near-dead information communication technology sector, which he is also the minister responsible.
The ICT sector in the country is almost dead; it’s seriously dead except for the private sector.
He needs to work extra hard to streamline policy oversight,
and coordinate the thriving developments brought on
by the private sector in a bigger way.
He needs to tow his department into line and direct them to formulate the Government’s overarching ICT policy to play the role of monitoring, overseeing and implementation of policies
and ICT projects and programmes.
There appears to be too much concentration on IGIS (Integrated Government Information System), which is not an area needing attention.
It’s a platform to roll out Government’s electronic business, but apart from that, there is more to do in ICT than just IGIS.
The Department of Communication doesn’t have a permanent secretary.
There are officers who have families and children working in that dead department.
In most of his energy summits, workshops and even the recent launch of his rural electricity project in Bulolo, he was accompanied by the acting Secretary Paulias Korni who is responsible for Communication.
How about his counterpart in the Energy office?
Should that not be the most-relevant person accompanying the minister in energy-related activities?
You need to shake up the sector first by appointing a permanent secretary for the Department.
It is critical.

Kande
Romalo Joel