All in a Bilum: The Digital Transformation in Nuku District

Nuku District headquarters is tucked away in a remote part of Sandaun Province.  Its isolation means monitoring and reporting on   the implementation of government  funded projects faces significant challenges.

But there’s  a quiet digital revolution is unfolding, one click at a time.

At the forefront is Jillian Mase, a dedicated public servant in the Nuku District Administration. In 2022, she  was introduced to Bilum, an Australian Government funded a cloud-based system,  designed to streamline the management and reporting of provincial and district service improvement program (PSIP and DSIP) funds.

Her daily experience with the new Bilum digital reporting platform offers a powerful glimpse into how technology is beginning to reshape governance and service delivery in some of PNG’s most challenging environments.

The immediate impact was palpable.

For years, Jillian’s role as a system examiner involved an arduous paper trail.

Imagine hundreds of pages of narrative and financial reports for various sectors like health, education, and agriculture, meticulously prepared, photocopied, and then bound into thick booklets.

The sheer volume of paper was immense.

“If we do have seven sectors or six sectors, every binding, all into sector, to have these pages and booklets ready for reservation,” Jillian said, highlighting the painstaking process.

The logistical nightmare extended to transport, with reports from Nuku District needing a seven to eight-hour road trip to Wewak in neighboring East Sepik,  followed by a flight to Port Moresby.

This was not only time-consuming but also costly, with “big amount of payments” for photocopying and binding. The constant risk of loss or damage to these irreplaceable paper records, particularly during heavy rains or staff changes, created significant historical data gaps.

PNG’s digital penetration in rural areas remains a significant challenge. While mobile phone ownership is increasing, access to reliable internet and digital literacy varies widely. Government systems have historically lagged in adopting digital technology, contributing to inefficiencies and challenges in data collection and reporting.

This context makes Jillian’s story, and the successful implementation of The BIlum Platform particularly significant.

Her hands-on adoption of the system provides a valuable case study for how digital tools can bridge geographical divides and improve administrative functions even where digital infrastructure is still developing.

When Jillian was introduced to the Bilum platform, it marked a turning point.

Instead of wrestling with physical booklets, reports are now uploaded directly to the platform, becoming visible to the Department of Implementation and Rural Development (DIRD) within minutes. This has drastically cut turnaround times from weeks to just a few days.

The system offers centralized data storage, meaning all financial records, invoices, and supporting documents are linked to each project within Bilum.

“Our finance team no longer worries about loss or water damage paper files, even when staff rotate or leave historical submission, remain safely,” Jillian said.

The days of late nights spent printing and binding are over, replaced by digital compilation with a few clicks.

Jillian’s role as a “super user” in Nuku highlights the potential for public servants in remote areas to drive digital transformation. Her experience is critical because it demonstrates that even with ongoing challenges in infrastructure and capacity, dedicated individuals can leverage new technologies to improve efficiency, increase transparency, and ultimately enhance the delivery of vital services to the people of Papua New Guinea.