25 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETE SME TRAINING IN KIUNGA

By Kenny ROMANUS, Kiunga

A total of 25 participants have successfully completed a two-week Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) training workshop in Kiunga, Western Province.

The graduation ceremony took place on Friday evening, March 28, 2025 at Cassowary Hotel, where the graduates expressed their thanks to the Western Provincial Administration and the SME Corporation (SMEC) for the opportunity.

The ceremony was attended by Mr. Karu Philly, representing North Fly MP, along with women leaders Miss Mary Swokin, Mrs. Rose Canisius, and Marylyene Elia from the Western Province Organization of Persons with Disabilities (WPOPD).

Mr. Nemo Bunn, Acting Provincial Manager for Commerce and Industry in Western Province and SME trainer, congratulated the graduates for completing the first phase of the training.

“The second phase involves business start-up. After completing the theory, you (participants) are let to go out and put into practice what you have learned in the theory with whatever resources you have,” he explained.

Mr. Bunn added that the third phase will involve monitoring participants after they start their SMEs and offering additional support.

With 85% of Papua New Guinea’s population working in rural areas and the informal economy, Mr. Bunn emphasized that this SME training targets these individuals to help them formalize and grow their businesses.

“This SME training targets such individuals or groups to engage them with training and help them grow from whatever informal business activity they carry out on a daily basis,” he stated.

The 2016 SME policy aims to support and expand the SME sector to create new employment opportunities, drive sustainable economic growth beyond the resource sector, and encourage equitable wealth distribution.

The government has set a goal to establish 500,000 SMEs by 2030, targeting the 85% of the rural population involved in informal business.

Mr. Bunn also outlined the ambitious training goals, saying, “Under this policy, it aims to train 200 participants per ward, and in Western Province, the province has 4 Districts, 16 Local Level Governments (LLGs), and 336 wards.

“With that target, we are to train 70,000 plus interested people in SMEs, which is a challenge for us in the division and the provincial government considering the landmass and challenging geographical context of the province, which includes some wards that are inaccessible by roads and do not have banking services.”

To overcome this challenge, the Western Province Commerce division plans to engage the Business Development Officers (BDOs) in each district to serve as SME trainers. Currently, North Fly has five BDOs based in Kiunga, while other districts face staffing issues.

Mr. Bunn shared that in recent years, Western Province has conducted seven SME training sessions, including five in Kiunga, one in Daru, and one in Telefomin district in Western Sepik Province.

Mr. Bunn encouraged participants to use the skills they gained from the training to create employment opportunities for themselves and their families.

SMEC Manager of Capacity Building & Master Trainer, Mr. Bill Reuben, will continue to collaborate with the Western Provincial Administration to expand SME training opportunities.

Mr. Reuben also invited youth to join future training programs, especially those who may have missed tertiary education, as the SME training offers a pathway to self-employment.

He announced that Trainer of Trainers (ToT) courses would be held in June and October, urging Mr. Bunn to submit names of officers to attend.

“I’m very happy to see that many participants in North Fly have already started something,” Mr. Reuben said, encouraging BDOs to continue supporting those who have already launched their businesses.

The training saw strong participation from women, reflecting their interest in SME opportunities.

Mr. Reuben advised the graduates, “Whatever you have is enough to start, start somewhere and grow. For those who have started, continue what you are doing, and your trainers will assist you.”

Mrs. Winnie Iwik, speaking on behalf of the participants, expressed their gratitude for the training, saying, “We are indeed very privileged and fortunate to have attended this very important lifetime business training. We are very satisfied as we have truly learned the secrets to successful micro- and small-scale businesses through the contents covered under each specific business topic.”

She also thanked the trainers for their hard work, and the event ended with the presentation of gifts to Mr. Reuben.

Nominated Member Karu Philly congratulated the graduates on behalf of the North Fly MP, assuring them that the MP’s office would collaborate with the district Commerce division and BDOs to support the ongoing success of the program.