Friday 26th June, 2026
The Department of Information and Communication Technology was part of the “Bridging the Gap” networking event organized by ABC International Development (ABCID) PNG and its flagship project, the Media Development Initiative (MDI)on Wednesday the 24th of June, 2026 at the Stanley Hotel in Port Moresby.
The forum brought together women in tech, government agencies, educational institutions, and civil society to address gender disparity in Papua New Guinea’s rapidly expanding tech sector.
The focus of this networking event was to drive greater participation of women and girls in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
With the industry historically dominated by men, the event served as a powerful showcase for resilient women who are breaking barriers and leveraging technology to drive community-level change across the country.
The event highlighted several tangible, community-focused projects currently transforming lives at the digital frontlines:
Cyberdazer Technical lead Ms. Samania Ned detailed her extensive work equipping both teachers and students with critical digital safety skills.
In an emotional presentation,NBC DTO Ms. Luanne Borle shared her journey of giving back to her home village in New Ireland, where she successfully established an e-library to grant local students unprecedented access to online learning materials.
Representing the Department of Implementation and Rural Development (DIRD), Principal Data Analyst Stephanie Yandalla showcased the real-world success of the Bilum Application, a digital tool designed to streamline and improve community development tracking.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) maintained a heavy presence at the event, outlining the government’s digital transformation agenda and the institutional pathways being built for the next generation of women leaders.
Executive Manager Digital Government Coordination, Ms.Lizarhmarie Warike spotlighted DICT’s intensive annual student programs and the prestigious Georgina Kiele Scholarship, explicitly noting that this scholarship prioritizes young women in its selection processes to engineer greater balance in the workforce. She also commended the DICT information team for their aggressive public awareness campaigns surrounding state technology policies and cyber awareness.
As Papua New Guinea’s digital landscape expands, so do its vulnerabilities. Closing the discussions, Ms. Michelle Jerewai, DICT’s Manager for Information Dissemination, strongly advocated for a collaborative national effort between media entities and civil society to combat misinformation and disinformation.
To maintain public trust, she urged organizations to secure their digital footprints by verifying their social media pages and anchoring all public communications through official websites.
The event concluded with a resounding consensus among stakeholders: bridging the digital gender gap is no longer just an industry milestone, but a fundamental pillar for Papua New Guinea’s national development and economic future.