Photo: Minister for ICT, Hon. Timothy Masiu with the owner of the Chartered Accountant Associates Mr. Najmi Abdul Hussain at the Business to Government Networking Event in Dubai.
The PNG Expo 2020 Pavilion in Dubai hosted a Business to Government (B2G) networking event in cooperation with IBMC Global, a Dubai-based investment firm, which drew interest from investors in tourism, information and communication technology (ICT), transportation, and wood trade.
Investors from the UAE and India met and shared information on prospects in tourism infrastructure, ICT, transportation, and forestry trade at the networking session.
A Letter of Interest (LOI) has been filed by one of the corporations interested in investing in wood, transportation, and tourist infrastructure, while others in the ICT field will do so shortly.
Minister for Information and Communication Technology Timothy Masiu, along with officials from his ministry and the Department of Information and Communication Technology, as well as PNG Pavilion representatives from the PNG Investment Promotion Authority, PNG Tourism Promotion Authority, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, presided over the networking event.
Minister Masiu encouraged investors to look into the opportunities that are available in their areas of interest.
"Papua New Guinea is a safe destination for you to invest and I encourage you to take up the opportunities provided by the country, " Mr Masiu said.
He reiterated the PNG government's position that information and communication technology (ICT) is a catalyst for investment in other industries such as eco-tourism, forestry, environmental and conservation, as well as the government's core business of providing basic services such as education and health care.
As a result, the government has launched its digital transformation strategy, which includes essential components such as allowing government-to-citizen (G2C), government-to-government (G2G), and government-to-business (G2B) services (G2B).
Minister Masiu also stated that new technologies such as fintech, artificial intelligence, and blockchain are important in PNG, and that investors in these fields are invited to collaborate with the government on these initiatives.
“The digital government investment will allow local ICT SMEs to grow as they lean on government as a building block and partner with key investors like yourselves,” he told potential investors.
Minister Masiu specifically requested that technology and mobile service companies invest in PNG, stating that these were key sectors for which the government would seriously examine offers.
Reference: Papua New Guinea World Expo 2020 (30 January 2022). “Minister for ICT officiates at B2G networking session in Dubai”.
