Businesses excited about summit

EXCITMENT about next week’s StartupPNG Convention is growing among the entrepreneurship and the small to medium enterprise (SME) community with news that Prime Minister James Marape will be opening the convention as part of PNG’s celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week.
The prime minister will be outlining his vision for PNG entrepreneurship.
Convention organiser, the Kumul Foundation Inc, have hailed Marape’s advocacy on entrepreneurship.
Chairman Anthony Smaré said: “Prime Minister Marape has been very consistent in his messaging since assuming the highest office that he supports and advocates for greater opportunities for Papua New Guineans to participate at all levels in the PNG economy.
“He has appointed reformers to important ministries to ensure that this agenda of increasing opportunities is achieved.
“We, just like others in the entrepreneurship community in PNG, are excited by these developments and I am sure that the prime minister will deliver a very strong vision of how he will continue to develop the agenda of economic participation for SMEs.
“We need to support the Government’s entrepreneurship agenda in whichever way we can in our respective roles.”
The StartupPNG Entrepreneurship and Impact Convention will be held from Tuesday to Friday at the International Convention Center in Port Moresby.
General admission weekly tickets are K165 per person from Ticketmasta outlets.
The organisers are expecting more than 1,000 people to attend each day.
The StartUp PNG Convention will be the Pacific’s largest entrepreneurship event with local and international speakers on entrepreneurship, disruption, innovation, startups, SMEs and impact; an SME marketplace featuring 50+ PNG SMEs; a startup showcase featuring 30+ PNG startups; the largest pitching event for PNG startups and entrepreneurs to pitch for investment and financing, an exclusive VIP programme for business and political leaders to discuss measures to improve opportunities for PNG entrepreneurs, ‘how to run your business better’ clinics by knowledge aspects such as Deloitte and Kina Bank, and Kumul Heroes Entrepreneurship awards recognising exemplary individuals and organisations for significant achievement in entrepreneurship, innovation or impact. Check startuppng Facebook page for more information.
The Convention proceedings will be telecast (outside Port Moresby) and livestreamed by EMTV to a national and international audience.