Deal signed to help WNB firms

West New Britain has become the seventh province in the country to sign an agreement with the Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) to establish a help desk in Kimbe.
The agreement was intended to promote smoother exchange of information on business, companies, association registrations and investment opportunities.
Speaking during the signing in Port Moresby, authority managing-director Clarence Hoot said: “One of the tools IPA intends to execute is its powers and responsibilities in encouraging as well as regulating business activities at the provincial level.
“The services will now be provided to the people so that people will not spend extra money to travel to Port Moresby to do lodgements but can visit their provincial commerce office to do that.”
The authority plans to distribute its services to all the provinces in the country.
The move will help local businesses easily find support and encouragement at provincial level since there has been a significant increase in business registrations.
Training will be provided for commerce officers manning the IPA help desk.
The IPA will also provide support in terms of computers and printers to assist officers deliver to clients.
“We are looking forward to sign agreements and establish help centres in all the other provinces in the country, but again, it depends on how prepared they are,” Hoot said.
“We do not want to push the provinces but rather work proactively with them.”
The IPA has already signed agreements with Milne Bay, New Ireland, East Sepik, Madang, Morobe and East New Britain, with West New Britain the latest inclusion.
West New Britain Governor Sasindran Muthuvel said his province was focused on agriculture and tourism as the main revenue-generating areas.
“Being an economical province, successful in agriculture, people don’t have to travel to Port Moresby or Kokopo to register their business,” he said.
Muthuvel wants his people to venture into many other different business opportunities they may find and not to entirely depend on agriculture.
He said West New Britain was sitting on a “social time bomb” because the population was constantly increasing and business gaps in the agricultural sector are becoming narrower.
“Now with this agreement signed, we will look into building our profile with the help of IPA, to attract investors into the province,” Muthuvel said.
“We will also be able to monitor carefully and report back to IPA on the types of businesses that are running and who is running those businesses.”
West New Britain provincial administrator Williamson Hosea said the province was privileged to work in partnership with IPA to execute this initiative.
“We have the political support to ensure the successful execution of this initiative,” he said.
Hosea said there were so many opportunities for SMEs and this current initiative would provide the “opportunity for people to participate rather than being spectators”.