Funding for SME meet

Business, Normal
Source:

The National, Monday June 24th, 2013

 By TERRY DAVID

THE government has assisted the small-to-medium enterprise (SME) summit in Madang with K200,000 funding, Minister for Trade Commerce and Industry Richard Maru announced this last Friday. 

He said the three-day meeting, which starts today, will be opened by National Planning Minister Charles Abel and closed by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill on Wednesday.

“The prime minister will receive a list of recommendations from more than 400 delegates of PNG businessmen and businesswomen on radical reforms to stimulate the SME sector growth and to create wealth and employment for our citizens,” Maru said.

International speakers will include an official from the Asian Development Bank who would deal on economic reforms aimed at stimulating the growth of SME sector and reducing the cost of doing business in PNG. 

“The PNG Chamber of Manufacturing Council will be doing a presentation on the high cost of doing business in PNG as compared to other countries in the region.

Chief executive officers from Malaysia’s business sector would also attend to present their experience in growing the SME sector.

Maru said New Zealand’s Construction Minister Maurice Williamson will be a keynote speaker at the summit.

He said: “New Zealand was an interesting case study for PNG because as a developed nation, its economy is based on renewable resources such as agriculture, tourism operations and services.

Maru thanked the sponsors for their support in holding the summit that  would cost at least K1 million.