Govt to set up SME council led by PM

 By SHIRLEY MAULUDU

THE Government will establish a small-to-medium (SME) council chaired by the prime minister to oversee sector’s development.

Minister for Trade, Commerce and Industry Richard Maru disclosed this in an address during the weeklong SME consultative workshop that began Port Moresby on Monday.

Maru said there was a need to identify which industries to grow in each of the provinces.

He said support was needed from the government to grow those industries.

“As such, a new SME council would be established in which the prime minister will be the chairman and other ministers and concerned stakeholders would make up the council,” Maru said. 

He said once the council was established, there would be at least two meetings held annually for the SME council to discuss ideas on how to develop the SME sector.

Meanwhile, the weeklong national consultative workshop is underway in Port Moresby, which followed two regional workshops that were held recently in which Papua New Guineans were consulted on their views on how to grow the SME sector

The weeklong SME consultative workshop was aimed to gather ideas and views from concerned stakeholders and individuals for a SME policy and master plan to be put together.