THE DEVELOPMENT OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA’S NATIONAL E-COMMERCE STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK.

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Background

The PACPS comprises the following states: the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. Trade and development arrangements between the EU and the African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries are designed to facilitate the ACP’s integration into the global economy through gradual trade liberalization and improved trade-related cooperation. They are set within the framework of the EU-ACP Partnership Agreement (known as the Cotonou agreement) that governs relations between the EU and the ACP countries. They open up EU markets fully and immediately, whereas ACP partners open only partially to EU imports, over transitioning periods

The IEPA is a development-oriented free-trade agreement that provides duty-free, quota-free access for the four EPA Pacific countries’ exports to the EU. Papua New Guinea (PNG) has been fully applying the IEPA since 2009 and its exports to the EU represent the majority of the exports from the fourteen PACP countries. The IEPA, in its current form, does not have a Services chapter and subsequently does not cover E-commerce. However, in August 2021, the Pacific Islands Forum Trade Ministers endorsed its first-ever Pacific Regional E-commerce Strategy.

For Papua New Guinea, as one of the eight members of the PNA and with competitive advantages to unleash its untapped export potential in tuna fisheries; kava-based pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industry; agro-processed products; creative industries, cultural handicrafts and textiles, among others, the development of a National E-commerce Strategic Framework has been identified as a national priority under its National IEPA Implementation Plan to bolster their economic development to a higher level.

Purpose

The overall objective of the consultancy is to provide technical assistance to Papua New Guinea in the formulation of a draft National E-commerce Strategic Framework which has been identified as a national priority activity under its National IEPA Implementation Plan to facilitate its transition from the planning to implementation phase.

Scope of Work

The Consultant will:

• Lead discussions on an initial hybrid (face-to-face and virtual) meeting with key national government representatives and the PIFS-SPIRIT Project Manager/Team Leader and the PIFS-SPIRIT Trade Adviser for Melanesia on the mutually agreed scope of work and timelines and produce an Inception Report within four business days after the meeting.
• Provide technical assistance in the formulation of a draft National E-commerce Strategic Framework which shall comprise at least the seven essential elements provided under KRA2 of section 2.3. A draft Action Plan shall be appended to the NESF to facilitate the next steps, post-consultancy, in the formulation of a National E-commerce Implementation Plan for Papua New Guinea. The final deliverables shall be accompanied by a maximum 5-page Written Technical Brief to the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat on KRA2 and KRA3, including learnings and risk analysis of the NESF.
• Liaise with the PIFS-SPIRIT Team Leader, who shall approve, in her capacity as the Project Manager for the consultancy, the transition from KRA1 to KRA4 under section 2.3 and the tagged progress payments provided under section 5.2, respectively.

Academic Qualifications

The candidate must possess a first Degree in Economics, Law, Information Technology, or any other field relevant to the assignment, post-graduate qualifications (Masters) will be an added advantage. In addition, the candidate must have at least seven (7) years working experience in the development of e-commerce policy and/or regulatory/administrative practices.