Platform needed for youth innovation

YOUNG people have lots of innovative ideas about producing clean energy and mitigating climate change, an entrepreneur says.
Ruth Bihoro, co-founder of a local social entrerprise called Clean Tech Chillers, said young people were creative but there were few platforms on which to show businesses and government what they could do.
Bihoro is 31 and has been working on Clean Tech Chillers for three years.
She is one of the organisers of a corporate dinner for young social entrepreneurs in Lae to showcase the innovative ideas of local high school and university students.
Maliwai Sasingian, operations director of The Voice Inc, said: “The Clean Generation Campaign has a vision to see a purposeful, virtuous and responsible generation stand up and take action on the pressing development and environmental challenges facing PNG.
“This dinner, from the organisers to the presenters is all about young people stepping up, coming up with solutions and taking action to make their worlds better.”
The Clean Generation corporate dinner was conceived by local Morobe youths and alumni of the Voice Inc, a youth leadership organisation that supports students at the University of Technology and in the Morobe community.
The dinner will feature students from Wawin National High School advocating for clean energy and climate change mitigation, presenting on their prototype water and windmill clean energy project.
The winners of the Unitech innovation contest will be announced and they will introduce their innovations.
The Morobe provincial government is supporting the dinner.
Governor Ginson Saunu will be chief guest.
Other guest speakers include youth entrepreneur Christopher Lam and journalist Scott Waide.
Businesshouses and organisations in Lae and Morobe are invited to attend to meet the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators and support what is being described as an “important opportunity for local youths”.