Papua New Guinea to benefit from Digicel, government partnership

Digicel will be partnering with the Papau New Guinea and Antigua & Barbuda governments to provide residents of two mining provinces in the Pacific island with the latest in information communication technology.



A memorandum of understanding, signed by the three parties in Antigua and Barbuda on Tuesday, will see the partners committing to a four-year programme to deliver a sustained, fully-funded ICT programme to the two mining provinces, New Ireland and Enga, with a view to building this out to further provinces over time, Digicel said in a release.



The move by the Papua New Guinea Ministry of Mining comes after it witnessed the success of Antigua and Barbuda’s Government Assisted Technology Endeavour (GATE) whereby students in the twin-island state have access to the very latest educational materials and tools through a partnership with Digicel, which provides them with LTE tablets and access to its 4G LTE network.



The Papau New Guinea pilot programme is scheduled to kick off in the first quarter of 2014, Digicel said.



Under the terms of the partnership, Digicel will be responsible for programme implementation and management, including the provision of broadband connectivity into the provinces as well as the required mobile devices and ICT solutions.



Antigua and Barbuda’s Ministry of Telecommunications, Science and Technology will assist by sharing the learning and experience taken from its successful GATE initiative. It has also agreed to provide 24 full training internship positions each year from the GATE facility, the release said.



Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Mining, Byron Chan noted that “access to technology is a key driver of economic growth and prosperity and a feature of educational excellence.”



He added: “What I have seen with the GATE project in Antigua and Barbuda has impressed and inspired me. By putting tablet computers in the hands of our children and giving them direct access to educational materials wherever they are, we can together ensure that our education enhancement programme sees us preparing them as best as possible by giving them the first class education they deserve.,”



Dr. Edmond Mansoor, Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda said “the GATE project was a bold step in preparing our children for success in the future and we are proud of the success we have had to date.”



Mansoor said that “to be recognised by our peers in PNG, the third largest island state in the world, as having blazed a trail in this regard is indeed an honour and we stand ready to help them build a sustainable ICT programme which will benefit the provinces for years to come.”



P.J. Mara, board director of the Digicel Group said “the success of the GATE project in Antigua and Barbuda is testament to the power of putting ICT in people’s hands and we look forward to helping to replicate that success in New Ireland, Enga and beyond.”



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