Papua New Guinea has signed a K26 million, three-year agreement with TechnologyOne to advance the government's public financial management system through cloud technology and artificial intelligence.
The agreement marks the next phase of the government's digital transformation of its Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) and was signed during PNG's 51st Independence anniversary year.
Acting Chief Secretary to the National Government Ivan Pomaleu OBE said the agreement represented a major step in modernizing how the government manages and accounts for public resources.
He said the focus was shifting from the deployment of basic software toward long-term operational sustainability, financial sovereignty and institutional capability.
The IFMS is now operating across all 22 provinces, connecting 43 national departments, 21 provincial health authorities, 89 districts, more than 313 local-level governments and 26 statutory bodies, according to the government.
The system provides a unified public finance platform with real-time financial tracking and banking capabilities across national and subnational government entities.
Pomaleu said the TechnologyOne agreement would support the Medium Term Development Plan IV (MTDP IV) 2023–2027, particularly Strategic Priority Area 7 on National Revenue and Public Finance Management and Strategic Priority Area 8 on Digital Government, National Statistics and Public Service Governance.
The modernization program is expected to strengthen internal fiscal controls, improve revenue management, reduce administrative delays and help prevent financial leakages.
A key component is TechnologyOne Plus, described as an enterprise-grade agentic artificial intelligence system governed under ISO 42001:2023 standards and a “human-in-the-loop” framework.
The system will enable public servants to interact with complex financial data through text and voice commands, including checking budget availability, tracking expenditures and streamlining approval workflows.
Pomaleu said embedding cloud technology and AI into government operations would help ensure public funds are deployed more efficiently and transparently in support of national development priorities.
He recognized Finance Secretary Samuel Penias, IFMS Board co-Secretary Andrew Oaeke, other central agency officials and the IFMS implementation team for their role in establishing the system nationwide.
He also called on public finance officers to embrace the technology as the government begins Phase 2 of its software upgrades and capacity-building programs.
The modernization is aligned with the government's target of building a K200 billion economy and improving public service delivery under MTDP IV.
The government said the investment is intended to establish a more transparent, resilient and sovereign financial management system capable of supporting Papua New Guinea's development priorities over the long term.
