ICCC focuses on building staff capacity

NEW issues and changes have prompted the Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) to focus on building staff capacity.
Commissioner Dr Billy Manoka said this at the commission’s economic and public sector programme capacity development agreement signing in Port Moresby on Monday, said it was confronted with many new issues, challenges and complexities when exercising its powers to instil controls and balances in the country’s fast-growing economy.
He said the commission played an important role in the economy as a regulator of business activities and customer protection in the country.
“Its core responsibility is to enhance the welfare of Papua New Guineans through the promotion of competition, fair trade, price regulation and service delivery standards of certain declared goods and services provided by state-owned entities, and the protection of customers’ rights,” Manoka said.
He said the commission needed to look for new ways to improve its service delivery through building the capacity of its staff.
“As the commission’s responsibility continues to grow with new improved changes, so does the need for staff capacity to be enhanced in complementing improvements,” he said.
Manoka said the commission acknowledged human capital development as one of the seven pillars of the government’s Vision 2050. 
In embracing Vision 2050, he said the commission had already taken a positive step forward by embarking on its first-ever capacity development programme with the help of AusAID.
He said that was through the agreement the commission and AusAID signed on Monday, along with a K3.1 million grant that would go towards research, training and technical advice for commission staff.
Dr. Manoka said the programme would greatly help the commission by way of strategic advising, technical assistance, mentoring and key skills transfer from technical advisors to staff.
He said the commission’s aim now was to ensure that staff fully used the opportunity to get the best help from the technical advisors so their capacity was developed to a standard where they were able to solve complex issues and embrace positive changes.