Cabinet backs ID project

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill and Cabinet are fully supportive of the national identity project and want it rolled out in the country immediately.
The National Executive Council last year approved the project. It again reaffirmed its support for it this week after the National Statistical Office and project contractor Huawei made a presentation on it to O’Neill and Cabinet on Wednesday in Port Moresby.
NSO and Huawei have been told to plan it well and deliver the project by next year.
The project will address the lack of a “secured, simple, and trustworthy” method for citizen identification in the country.
Planning Minister Charles Abel briefed Cabinet of its importance and the challenges ahead.
Acting National Statistician Roko Koloma said the national identity project would provide a national database for the country’s seven million people.
It will provide an identification card for those above 18 years.
Koloma said the national database would be an invaluable tool for the Government.
He said it would have a national data bank.
Huawei said the project would also cater for an holistic approach in national registration of births, marriages and divorce and deaths.
It said other benefits included secure banking and commerce, travel and security.
The PNGNID will have provincial offices and a National Data Centre.