Wewak connected as NID project seeks out citizens

Highlands

WEWAK is the 16th town to be connected to the PNG Civil and Identity Registry’s National Identity card database in Port Moresby, says National Planning and Monitoring Minister Richard Maru.
Maru and Wewak MP Kevin Isifu launched the programme in Wewak on Tuesday.
“This is an effort by the government to make sure that all citizens are registered on the national database which will propel PNG into the era of electronic governance, resulting in lower costs of service delivery and optimisation of modelling methods,” Maru said.
“This comes at the back of the successful commissioning of Pomio, one of the most remote rural coastal districts accessible only by air and sea.” People in Pomio can be connected on the NID database without having to travel outside the district.
After Wewak, the Highlands region will be targeted.
Maru encourage governors and MPs in the Highlands region to assist the NID programme.
He said the Highlands provinces’ three million people mostly live in areas difficult to reach.
“It will be a very difficult region to roll the NID project. We cannot delay the roll-out in the highlands region,” Maru said.
Only three out of the seven provinces in the Highlands are connected to the NID database – Banz in Jiwaka, Kundiawa in Chimbu and Goroka in Eastern Highlands.