Business officers urged to drive SMEs

Central deputy administrator Mannasseh Rapila presents Jacklin Ravu from Yu Tok, a non-government organisation, with her certificate.-Pictures by MALUM NALU
Central deputy administrator Mannasseh Rapaila presents Jerry Mekero, a business development officer from West Sepik province, with her certificate

Business development officers (BDOs) who attended a seminar conducted by the Small Business Development Corporation have been urged not hold back what they have learned.
Central deputy provincial administrator Mannasseh Rapila made the call in his keynote address at the graduation of BDOs from throughout Papua New Guinea from an International Labour Organisation – Start Improve Your Business training of trainers and refresher training of trainers seminar at the Granville Hotel in Port Moresby last Friday.
“The worse thing you can do to your people is to withhold all the good things you have learned in the ILO-SIYB training of trainers and refresher training of trainers seminar,” he said.
“At the end of the day, the losers will be your own people whose interests brought you to attend this seminar.
“Your provincial administrator thought that you would provide the type of advice required for the betterment of local businessmen and women, therefore, you were selected to attend this seminar away from your province.
“By the same token, in acceptance of this selection, you have made a commitment with your provincial administrator to return well-equipped to do what is required of you as business development officer of the province.”
Mr Rapila further urged participants to return to their respective provinces and take stock of local business entrepreneurs.
“How can you assist these local businessmen and women with the new, modern methods that you have been provided with over the past two weeks?” he said.
Mr Rapila said small and medium enterprises (SMEs) provided employment for local people; hence, their survival should be the concern of the BDOs.
“One of the visions of Somare/Temu government as enshrined in Vision 2050, which was recently launched, is the empowerment of people in the rural areas economically and your training this week has been timely,” he said.
“In order to achieve this vision, you as business development officers in your respective provinces, play a very-important role.
“While the government is advocating and strategising policies to enhance and improve standards of living in the rural areas, this vision cannot be achieved without properly equipping our local businessmen and women with better and improved methods and systems of operations.
“They need your expert advice in order to do well in their businesses; otherwise, they will be spectators while more-established foreign companies grab all the business activities from them.
“You make it your business to ensure that these local entrepreneurs are competitive.
“Given this scenario, you as the key agents in the provinces in promoting and growing the SME sector, play a very important role for these small SME entrepreneurs.
“The SME sector empowers PNG businessmen and women by providing better methods and ways to carry out businesses.
“In doing so, you play a very-important role in the achievement of this development vision.”