THE Prime Minister and National Executive Council (PMNEC) department has shifted to the National Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) system replacing manual paper cheques with secure and real-time digital payments.

This was demonstrated by a mini go-live presentation at PMNEC office on Friday (June 12) by the cash management and accounts payment team members using the system.

Chief secretary Ivan Pomaleu said payments that previously took several working days to complete would now be processed within minutes.

The EFT is a government payment system currently being rolled out by the Finance Department designed to shift slow paper based checks to fast and transparent digital transactions.

The system enables funds to be transferred directly into verified supplier accounts through secure banking channels, reducing processing times and improving the overall payment experience.

“For many years, government agencies have continued to rely on cheque payments long after the private sector and ordinary citizens moved to electronic banking platforms.

“We cannot expect the public service to operate under different standards from those that apply to businesses and citizens.

“Government departments should not expect special treatment simply because we are the Government.

“Under the cheque system, the officers collect cheque’s and physically attend banks, join the queue for deposits, wait for cheque clearance and then do an audit trail for receipts before transactions can be delivered,” he said.

He said this process created unnecessary delays and inconvenience for both the Government and the suppliers.

PMNEC is among the pioneering government institutions after Finance Department with the National Parliament, National Procurement Commission, and the Auditor-General’s Office that have successfully transitioned to the EFT system.

This transformation aims to onboard all national departments and agencies to the system by next year. Finance secretary Samuel Penias said it marked a milestone for Finance and PMNEC and the country as it progressed to a more modern, secure, accountable public financial management system.