From Suspicion to Trust: ICP Blockchain's Role in PNG Aid Accountability

Abstract

This paper is written to combat corruption, the ministerial slowness, and the overall lack of real-time control within Papua New Guinea’s (PNG’s) current centralized Charity aid system in distributing aid throughout the country. These problems concerning the structure of how Papua New Guinea (PNG) aids distribution, they are big cause of widespread mishandling of resources resulting to a big decline in donor trust, which has drastically impacted development process at the ground level (local Level) and up with a high decreased in external support. In contrast, there is hope through blockchain platforms such as Internet Computer Protocol (ICP). Ethereum and etc. ICP is one of the current top tiers in Public Blockchain technology in operation today. The purpose of the study is to see the benefits of ICP in PNG aid distribution in terms of its function’s accountability and transparency. The study will also be examining the possibility of deploying such a system into Papua New Guinea’s technological ecosystem especially its possibility, advantage, and any draw backs that comes with deploying this workable blockchain based solution, a thorough analysis of academic papers and research papers having ICP or block chain based solution used around the world on aid system or aid distribution will be examined. Given the thorough analysis and overview of PNG,s economy in terms of corruption and blockchain application of several papers, it is seen that blockchain may greatly impose an increase in transparency by offering immutable ledger capabilities that build donors confidence with real time fund tracking, this will revolutionize and reduce the number of administrative workloads through the use of automated smart contracts. Moreover, there are still underlying issues regarding the country’s inadequate infrastructure, level of digital literacy and the necessary framework needed to guide implementation of this blockchain technology to successful adaptation. Despite the country’s status as a third world country and still developing, PNG has the capacity to turn things around if proper studies is carried out to pinpoint the weakness in our economy and focus the solution on technological innovations to change it, by doing so improving its economy and country’s state in general. So, in order to promote blockchain as one revolutionary tool that may restore faith in the humanitarian sector of Papua New Guinea, the study ends with strategic policy proposals for the incorporation into the assistance management frameworks.