Papua New Guinea’s Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) has launched its Corporate Plan 2026–2030, setting out the regulator’s strategic priorities for strengthening consumer protection, competition enforcement and economic regulation over the next five years.
Minister for Rural and Economic Development Joseph Lelang and ICCC Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer Roy Nunts Daggy launched the plan at APEC Haus in Port Moresby on August 28, 2026.
Developed with support from the Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative (PSDI), the plan establishes the ICCC’s strategic direction around four goals that reflect its statutory responsibilities to protect consumers, promote competitive markets and regulate industries and prices where necessary.
The plan also sets an institutional objective for the ICCC to strengthen its performance and establish itself as an independent and expert economic regulator.
In the plan’s introduction, Daggy said the Corporate Plan sets out how the Commission will use “its independence, expertise, and integrity to deliver real results” for families, businesses and communities across Papua New Guinea.
Focus on women and disadvantaged consumers
The Corporate Plan places particular emphasis on improving outcomes for women consumers, women traders and disadvantaged groups.
The ICCC has committed to targeted outreach and investigator training, while also identifying opportunities within its regulatory functions to support greater participation by women in the formal economy.
The focus recognizes that effective consumer protection and competition regulation require the regulator to engage with different groups across the economy and ensure that information, enforcement and regulatory services are accessible to those who may face greater barriers to participating in formal markets.
Preparing for expanded competition and consumer powers
The five-year strategy also anticipates changes to the ICCC’s mandate under a new competition and consumer protection bill currently undergoing consultations with PSDI support.
The proposed legislation is expected to expand Papua New Guinea’s consumer protection framework through fair trading provisions covering misleading and deceptive conduct, as well as guarantees concerning the quality of consumer goods and services.
The Corporate Plan therefore commits the ICCC to preparing for the new law before it comes into force. This includes strengthening enforcement capability, developing guidance materials and expanding consumer and trader education.
The approach is intended to ensure the Commission is equipped to implement and enforce the expanded framework once the legislation is passed.
Strengthening the regulator
The Corporate Plan links the ICCC’s external regulatory responsibilities with efforts to strengthen its own institutional capability.
The Commission’s four strategic goals provide the framework for its work over the 2026–2030 period, covering its responsibilities for consumers, competition and regulated sectors while also addressing the organizational performance needed to carry out those functions effectively.
The emphasis on independence, expertise and integrity reflects the ICCC’s stated ambition to be recognized as an expert economic regulator capable of delivering practical outcomes for consumers, businesses and communities.
The launch was attended by ICCC Associate Commissioner, Non-Resident Marcus Bezzi, Associate Commissioner, Resident Jack Timi, and other officials.
The new Corporate Plan provides the ICCC with its strategic roadmap as Papua New Guinea prepares for potentially significant changes to its competition and consumer protection regime.
