Understanding the Machinery of Government
This interactive platform is designed to help citizens of Papua New Guinea navigate the structure of the National Government. Explore how directives flow from the National Executive Council (NEC) through Ministers down to the Departmental Secretaries and the broader Public Service. Use the explorer below to find specific departments, their mandates, and leadership structures.
Flow of Directives & Structure
The high-level process from constitutional authority to public service delivery.
Head of State
Constitutional Authority
National Executive Council (NEC)
The Cabinet - Chaired by the Prime Minister. Makes executive decisions and policy.
State Ministers
Political heads appointed by the PM. They issue policy directives to their respective departments.
Boards & Commissions
Governing bodies for statutory authorities and state-owned enterprises.
Departmental Secretaries
Chief Accounting Officers. They translate ministerial policy into administrative action.
The Public Service
Implementers of government policy and service delivery to the citizens.
Interactive Department Explorer
Browse the list of ministries and departments below. Click on any entity to view its structural details, leadership, and external links.
Select a department or entity from the list to view its details.
Entity Name
Entity Type
Description goes here.
Political Head
Minister Title
National Executive Council
Administrative Head
Secretary Title
Public Service
Government Architecture Overview
The Papua New Guinea government is structured across several key sectors to ensure comprehensive national development and administration. Central Agencies drive core policy, finance, and planning, while line departments in Economic, Social, and Infrastructure sectors execute specific mandates.
This chart illustrates the distribution of the primary state departments and core agencies represented in this directory by their functional sector. Understanding this distribution helps highlight the breadth of the government's operational focus.