WIB promotes enterprising PNG woman

By PATRICK TALU

 

THE days of being seen as housewives and second class citizens is over for Papua New Guinean women, The National reports.

PNG women are now competitive and just as   business minded as their male counterparts.

Thus, the women's dreams and aspiration is now being motivated and empowered through Women in Business (WIB) initiative, a desk created by Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC).

Managing director for SBDC Diri Kobla, manager, business development and information services division, Nathan Timo and WIB officer Maria Kalap said SBDC had recognised PNG women as important development partners and endeavoured to promote and empower them in their business aspiration.

Kobla said the purpose of setting a desk for WIB at SBDC was to empower and assist women in business in PNG align with Vision 2050 and to achieve its development aspiration.

"More importantly, our focus is on women who are doing small business at informal sectors like selling ice block, small scale faming, and textile businesses.

"We do that by way of sponsoring them for skilled training.

"We also provide seed capital to the women to start up their small businesses with the skills they have acquired from the training," Kobla said

Kalap said SBDC had many success stories from the first batch of women trained in Port Moresby under WIB sponsorship at the Women Textile Training centre.

"These women have progressed well in various businesses they are engaged after being skilled and trained here.

"Most prominent is one of our first batch graduands operating a successful business in Goroka town in Eastern Highlands," Kalap said.

She said the second batch sponsored by WIB would end their training next week.

They are Regina Wani, originally from East Sepik but based in Madang representing Momase region, Betty Daniel from Wabag, Enga (highlands) and Veronica Stevens form NCD (southern).

At a low key ceremony, yesterday, Kobla presented two industrial and one locker machines to the women with a small unspecified seed capital to start their business.

The women were grateful for the training and support from SBDC.