New think-tank organisation gets K250,000

By TREVOR WAHUNE
A State minister has committed K250,000 on behalf of Government to help establish and strengthen the work of a new think-tank organisation.
Minister for Communications Information Technology and Energy Sam Basil on behalf of Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, made the commitment to PNG Think Tank Incorporated (PNGTTI) during its launching in Port Moresby on Saturday.
The commitment was one of many made by various business houses, departments and ministries.
Basil acknowledged the patron of PNGTTI Sir Nagora Bogan, and Minister for Justice and Attorney-General Davis Steven, for the mentoring roles in establishing the organisation.
It was formed last year.
Basil said PNGTTI in many ways reminded him of the Bully Beef Club that was forerunner to Pangu Pati.
“The challenge now is to make PNG an economically-independent nation with citizens able to participate in nation building and maximise benefits from their efforts in their own land,” he said.
PNGTTI public relations officer Samson Komati said PNGTTI’s first aim was to set up an office.
He said it planned to employ a fulltime chief executive officer to the secretariat of the PNGTTI.
Komati said PNGTTI also aimed to set up a database of more than one million PNG professionals who were on the payroll. He said PNGTTI would also network and consult existing think-tank groups.
“There are also plans that eventually we will split the think-tank group into the money-making arm and the think-tank version, where all the ideas are going to come from,” Komati said.
Sir Nagora said the launch was a historic milestone for PNGTTI.