B’ville keen to improve business opportunities for women

Bougainville will host one of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meetings focusing on women in economy – a key platform for direction for Apec, chief executive officer Chris Hawkins says.
In response to questions on the number of meetings to be held in various provincial centres, Hawkins said the meeting in Arawa would be particularly good for advancing opportunities for women in economy.
“The meeting in Bougainville will be good for women in the economy and advancing opportunities for women,” Hawkins said.
“It is a key policy platform or direction of Apec and in PNG that’s particularly important and we will have a lot of involvement around the country.”
Hawkins said the meetings start with the transportation ministers’ conference in Port Moresby and in Alotau in October this year followed by the first officials’ meeting in Madang in December.
In January about 1500 delegates will be coming for the first senior officials’ meeting in Port Moresby.
Hawkins said that initially the locations the Apec Authority had agreed included Alotau Kokopo, Arawa, Wewak, Madang, Goroka, Mt Hagen, Kavieng and Popondetta.
Co-chair of the PNG SPWG  (security partners working group) Ian Jinga said they had moved away from the strategic aspects of engagement and they were now talking about operation issues.