Brisbane, Australia | Thursday, 7th July 2026
Acting Minister for Information and Communications Technology, Hon. Peter Tsiamalili Jr., has announced a landmark partnership with the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) to accelerate the country’s digital transformation.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in Brisbane, witnessed by Prime Minister Hon. James Marape and Minister for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, Hon. Kinoka Feo. Acting Minister Tsiamalili signed on behalf of the Government, alongside QUT representatives.
The agreement sets a framework for collaboration in innovation, research, knowledge exchange, and capacity building, while ensuring all projects comply with Papua New Guinea’s legal, procurement, and governance standards.
Minister Tsiamalili described the MoU as a defining step toward building a secure, sovereign, and citizen-focused digital government.
“Today’s Memorandum of Understanding is not the end of the journey—it is the beginning of a strategic partnership that will move Papua New Guinea from policy to implementation while protecting our national interests,” he said.
Under the partnership, QUT will support innovation across the public sector, strengthen the digital transformation workforce, and develop research opportunities around the SevisPass Digital Identity Ecosystem and other priority initiatives.
The Acting Minister stressed that the MoU is only a framework. Each project will require separate agreements, approvals, and governance processes. Matters such as procurement, intellectual property, software ownership, cybersecurity, licensing, maintenance, funding, and knowledge transfer will be addressed in future agreements to safeguard Papua New Guinea’s interests.
A central pillar of the partnership is data sovereignty. All digital solutions must protect Papua New Guinea’s ownership and control of government data, while meeting cybersecurity and governance requirements.
The collaboration supports the Government’s broader vision of building trusted institutions through secure digital infrastructure, modern public administration, and better service delivery for citizens.
Concluding the ceremony, Minister Tsiamalili thanked QUT, the Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, the Department of Prime Minister and NEC, the Office of the State Solicitor, and all agencies involved.
“Today we sign with purpose. Tomorrow we begin the disciplined work of implementation. Together, we will build a digitally empowered Papua New Guinea that is innovative, secure, sovereign and ready for the future.”
[Picture: PM’s Media]