New management system for PNGDF

By VERONICA FRANCIS
IN a small but historical ceremony, the Australian government, as part of the bilateral defence cooperation programme (DCP), officially handed over the capital asset management system (CAMS) to the PNG Defence Force Commander Brig-Gen Francis Agwi last Friday.
The Australian High Commission’s first secretary for defence, Mathew Flint, said the CAMS project would provide the PNGDF and Department of Defence with an accurate understanding of the state of their estate and major assets.
“The project will improve PNGDF’s ability to create maintenance schedules, provide a basis for disposing of assets that are beyond repair and generates accurate data to provide justification for government funding submissions through the defence organisation’s budget process,” he said, adding that the project would also give PNGDF the ability to monitor their estate over time and include other forms of equipment and assets on the register.
“CAMS will provide the organisation with a platform from which to improve governance and accountability arrangements for their estate and major assets.”
Agwi said the PNGDF had identified a significant gap within the organisation’s ability to manage its capital assets.
He said as a result, they asked the Australian government to assist in setting an asset management system and, after three years the DCP-funded CAMS project was completed.
Agwi admitted that previously, the PNGDF had no proper records of its assets such as buildings and vehicles, but with the CAMS project, they could now keep tab of every little details.
“This is the first time ever in the history of PNGDF for such project to come about and it is a very important good governance tool,” he said, adding that he would make sure the CAMS office was manned and maintained up to standard.
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu PNG was contracted under DCP to design and develop the CAMS database tool and an asset management manual.
On the same day, the PNGDF held its 25th apprentice graduation which saw 10 apprentices graduated with their trade certificate in different trades and the re-opening of its main force level workshop at which they will be based.