My Take on the Digital Transformation Summit:
Day 1 Insights from Stanley Hotel, Port Moresby
Port Moresby, November 24, 2025 – As the sun rose over the bustling capital, the Stanley Hotel transformed into a hub of innovation and ambition with the kickoff of the Digital Transformation Summit 2025 (DTS25). Hosted by Papua New Guinea's Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), this four-day event – the nation's second-largest digital gathering of the year – drew global ICT leaders, policymakers, and innovators under the theme "Reaffirming the Vision and Direction." From the resounding opening address by Prime Minister Hon. James Marape, who declared ICT and AI as the engines propelling PNG into its next 50 years of prosperity, to lively panel discussions on cyber resilience and digital infrastructure, Day 1 set a tone of urgency and collaboration. As an attendee immersed in the sessions, here's my personal reflection on the key takeaways that resonated most, shaping how PNG can leapfrog into a truly digitized future.
Forging Global Partnerships for Robust Digital Infrastructure
One of the day's most compelling messages was the imperative for key international partners to unite in building the backbone of PNG's digital economy. Prime Minister Marape's keynote wasn't just inspirational; it was a clarion call, inviting tech giants like Oracle, Google, and even SpaceX to view PNG as a strategic Asia-Pacific hub for data centers and cloud infrastructure, powered by our unparalleled renewable energy sources – hydro, geothermal, solar, and wind. This echoed in the Regional Partnership Address by Australian High Commissioner His Excellency Mr. Ewen McDonald, who highlighted the Lagatoi Declaration's role in fostering a "Smart Pacific" through enhanced connectivity and shared resources.
The afternoon's Panel Session 2 on "Building a Resilient Critical Digital Infrastructure & Connectivity Leveraging AI for PNG" drove this home, with telecom heavyweights like Digicel PNG's CEO Tarik Boudiaf and Telikom PNG's CEO Amos Tepi stressing redundancy and AI integration for urban-rural divides. A standout moment was the call to action: Key partners must collaborate on constructing a sovereign data center in PNG. Imagine it – a secure, locally hosted facility that not only safeguards our data but positions us as a neutral powerhouse for regional cloud services. Without such alliances, PNG risks being a digital bystander rather than a bridge between Asia and the Pacific. This takeaway? Partnerships aren't optional; they're the rebar in our digital foundation.
Holistic Digital Tools: Capturing Every Organizational Pulse
In a world where silos breed inefficiency, Day 1 hammered home that digital tools must permeate every function of an organization – from HR onboarding via e-Recruitment systems to sales pipelines, marketing campaigns, health, safety, and environment (HSE) compliance, and core operations. The live demonstrations of SevisPass (for seamless digital identity), SevisDEx (data exchange), and SevisWallet (payments) were eye-openers, showcasing how these Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) components can unify workflows without the chaos of fragmented systems.
As DICT's Acting Deputy Secretary Jessy Sekere and Tech5's CTO Rahul Parthe walked us through these tools, it became clear: Centralizing systems isn't just tech jargon – it's essential to capture clean, unified data while avoiding duplication that plagues legacy setups. In Session 4 on "Digital Public Infrastructure for Economic Growth," Oracle's Sailen Kotecha and NiuPay's James Inglis illustrated how DPI can turbocharge economic innovation, from rural entrepreneurs accessing remote markets to SMEs streamlining payments. For PNG businesses, this means adopting tools that scale across functions, turning data into a single source of truth. My note to self: No more Excel graveyards – digitize holistically or stagnate.
Collaborative Growth: Sharing Ideas to Elevate the Ecosystem
The summit's electric energy stemmed from its ethos of collective advancement. All companies in the digital space – from startups to telcos – must share ideas and learn from one another to foster mutual growth. This was palpable in the networking breaks and the Governance Panel (Session 1), where MPs like Hon. Allan Bird and Hon. Powes Parkop sparred with experts on regulatory hurdles, moderated by Hon. Marsh Narewec. The message? Isolation breeds mediocrity; collaboration sparks breakthroughs.
Echoing Acting ICT Minister Hon. Peter Tsiamalili Jr.'s welcome – "Digital transformation is ultimately about people" – the event prioritized education and interaction. Sessions urged us to educate stakeholders on tech's transformative power, engaging youth through upcoming hackathons and ideathons to co-create a shared vision. As a participant, I left conversations with fellow attendees buzzing about cross-pollinating solutions, like Vodafone's Ronald Prasad sharing AI-driven connectivity strategies with DICT officials. In PNG's diverse landscape, where over 800 languages converge, this open-source mindset isn't just smart – it's survival.
Navigating Innovation: Agile Regulations and Building Trust
Innovation doesn't pause for bureaucracy, and Day 1 made it abundantly clear: It's evolving every moment and unavoidable, so regulatory frameworks must adapt to align with it, not stifle it. The National Cyber Resilience Framework session (Session 3) was a wake-up call, with experts from CyberCX and Deloitte outlining PNGCERT's role in threat detection amid rising cybercrimes. Yet, the governance panel balanced this with calls for flexible policies that enable – rather than encumber – AI and 5G rollouts.
Equally vital is trust. People and businesses won't adopt your product without it, so proper awareness campaigns and polished presentations are non-negotiable. The Sevis tool demos weren't flashy sales pitches; they were transparent walkthroughs, building credibility by showing real-world applicability – from a Jiwaka farmer verifying identity via mobile to a Port Moresby executive processing payroll securely. As Prime Minister Marape noted, PNG's "greenfield" status lets us cherry-pick global best practices, but only if we invest in user-centric education to earn that buy-in.
Looking Ahead: Day 2 Beckons
As the official networking reception wound down amid toasts to PNG@50, Day 1 left me optimistic yet challenged. We've reaffirmed our digital north star, but execution demands the partnerships, tools, collaboration, education, agile regs, trust-building, and centralization outlined today. Tomorrow's Day 2 – delving deeper into youth empowerment, content creation, and 5G innovations – promises even more fireworks, with hackathons and partnership signings on the horizon. PNG stands at a crossroads: Will we digitize inclusively, or watch the world speed by? From Stanley Hotel's vantage, I'm betting on the former – a connected, prosperous nation where technology serves all 10 million of us.
This reflection draws from live sessions at #DTS25
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