Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea | Thursday, 19 June 2025
In a decisive move to enforce accountability and improve whole-of-government performance, the National Executive Council (NEC) has approved the establishment of the National Monitoring and Coordination Authority (NMCA)—a central agency mandated to eliminate fragmentation and ensure the effective delivery of government programs.
Prime Minister Hon. James Marape described the decision as a major structural reform and a key milestone in the Government’s agenda to drive efficiency, coordination, and results across the public sector.
“For too long, government monitoring and coordination have been scattered across departments with overlapping mandates and inconsistent outcomes. This has led to inefficiency, duplication, and weak implementation. That ends now,” said Prime Minister Marape.
The NMCA will be housed initially within the Department of Prime Minister & NEC and led by a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) under the delegated authority of the Chief Secretary, reporting directly to the Prime Minister. Upon full establishment, it will function as an independent authority with its own legal mandate.
Mr. David Wereh, former Secretary for Works and Highways, has been appointed as Interim CEO of the NMCA. Widely recognised as the architect of the Connect PNG initiative, Mr. Wereh brings a proven track record of driving large-scale, cross-government reforms. His appointment demonstrates Government’s confidence in his ability to align and mobilise agencies to deliver with greater cohesion and urgency.
The NMCA will also consolidate staff currently dispersed across various departments who are responsible for coordination and monitoring functions.
It will serve as the Government’s principal mechanism to coordinate, monitor, and evaluatepolicy and project implementation across all levels of government, including national departments, provinces, and sectors.
Prime Minister Marape said the Authority would also deploy the use of industry experts and State agencies to cross-verify standards, compliance and delivery for work carried out at all levels of government and State agencies.
“We will procure the use of competent accounting, engineering, auditing, and architectural firms, and key bodies like National Research Institute and relevant State agencies to make sure that the intent of Government is actioned. We want to check on standards, delivery and compliance, not just in terms of good governance, but also value for money. We want this happening at the national, provincial, district (DDA) levels, and within State agencies as well. We want budgets delivered, and government policy and objectives achieved.”
Based on this, PM Marape has sounded a strong warning to all public servants to pay heed to the decision of the NEC and the establishment of the NMCA.
“Public servants at all levels must understand this. Failure to deliver will no longer be tolerated. The era of excuses, inefficiency, and disconnected silos is over. This authority will ensure every toea spent and every directive issued leads to tangible outcomes.
“NMCA will ensure ethical responsibility, transparency, fairness, accountability, and inclusivity across all of the government’s investment programs,” the Prime Minister stated.
The Authority will be overseen by a council reporting directly to the Prime Minister. The State Solicitor and First Legislative Counsel are currently tasked with preparing a legal framework, either by adopting existing or drafting new legislation, for presentation to Parliament.
An interim team is now being assembled by pooling resources from existing departments to begin the groundwork.
“Every review and audit over the last decade points to one root problem—weak implementation, poor coordination, no follow-through, and zero accountability. Billions have been spent with little to show. This will stop.
“The NMCA is the structural fix to this dysfunction. From now on, the budget must align with the Medium-Term Development Plan, and the plan must be executed as designed. No more loose ends, no more excuses.
“We must lift our game. The NMCA will ensure the public service is better organized, more disciplined, and fully aligned in delivering results. This is how we rebuild trust, drive st, drive impact, and make government work again,” Prime Minister Marape concluded.
