Association conducts SME workshop

Nawaeb District Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Association conducted an SME and good governance workshop last month at Nabak LLG in Morobe.
It was a week-long course which saw 209 participants, including prisoners from Buimo Jail.
The training was conducted in collaboration with the National SME Policy, Morobe government, Nawaeb district development authority and Nabak LLG.
The training was sponsored by Eco-Tourism Consultancy Services which advocated and provided good governance training and advisory services for SMEs with high-growth potential.
The director of SME and good governance, Francis Steven, said that well-governed SMEs demonstrated better long-term financial results and grew faster and more sustainably.
That was the reason they integrated the SME training with good governance.
Steven said that poor governance practices resulted in poor business performance, fraud and catastrophic failure.
During the workshop on how to start up SMEs, awareness were created on law and justice, HIV-AIDS and Apec.
Steven said there was a need to educate the rural population about Apec because many people in the rural areas were confused about it.
“Through the awareness, they came to know the reasons behind the Apec meeting,” he said.
All participants left the training with a set of high-priority actions that were practical, realistic and quick to generate positive impacts.
Meanwhile, Steven and a ward member from Nabak LLG, Macklay Eso’ke, are in Port Moresby to promote the Nawaeb SME Cultural Show next year.
They will also observe the Apec meeting.
Last Thursday they presented bilum made by Nawaeb women groups to Correctional Services acting Commissioner Steven Pokanis, at the CS commanders’ conference in Port Moresby.