The ICCC plans to establish a regulatory presence in every province as part of its five-year Corporate Plan to bring consumer protection and market monitoring closer to Papua New Guineans.
ICCC Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer Roy Daggy said the commission currently operates offices in four regional centres, leaving other provinces without a permanent ICCC presence.
“One of the things that we can do in the next five years is to make sure we have ICCC offices present in every town and city in the country,” Daggy said.
He said the expansion would allow the commission to handle complaints, gather information and monitor compliance in real time.
“This is to make sure our presence is there, and we also make sure enforcement power is effective,” he said.
The ICCC has already signed about 18 memorandums of understanding with provincial governments, with four remaining to complete the process.
Under the arrangements, ICCC agents will work within provincial governments while being appointed as ICCC agents.
Daggy said the agents would represent the commission in the provinces and report monthly to the ICCC’s regional offices.
“So, two agents per province that represent us, and they submit monthly reports,” he said.
He described the current arrangement as a temporary step towards establishing a permanent ICCC presence across the country.
“But in the long run, for me being around for the next five years, is I want to make sure an officer that wears ICCC badge with an ID was employed by ICCC, who is working the town,” Daggy said.
He said the long-term vision was to have ICCC employees physically operating in provincial towns and monitoring businesses.
“For example, in Wewak, I want to see an ICCC employee walking the streets of Vanimo, checking every store, every service station, and also in Vanimo, in Wewak, in Kimbe. So, for example, that’s how we want to go” he said.
Daggy said the provincial presence would strengthen the commission’s ability to respond to complaints and identify compliance issues closer to where they occur.
He said the ICCC also wanted to improve its systems so consumers, including people in rural and disadvantaged communities, could more easily raise concerns.
“Sometimes the regulatory powers, you know, it’s limited to certain areas, and we don’t hear from them their complaints, what they have, the issues,” Daggy said.
He said the commission would work towards an integrated and modernized system capable of capturing complaints and queries from consumers and other stakeholders across the country.
The ICCC has also upgraded its website to provide consumers with an online enquiries and complaints platform.
Daggy said consumers could submit details and descriptions of complaints through the platform, allowing the commission to receive them in real time.
“It’s a real-time turnaround for us to address all the complaints that consumers have,” he said.
He said the ICCC would continue developing its information and communications technology systems to bring more of its services online.
“We want to do innovations in our ICT, information and database system, so that we want to integrate all our work online,” Daggy said.
The expansion of the ICCC’s provincial presence forms part of its wider plan to strengthen consumer protection, improve compliance and ensure markets work for people across Papua New Guinea.