Sape’s legacy ‘will live on’

By JACKLYN SIRIAS
THE business community, in particular women entrepreneurs, are mourning the death of businesswoman Janet Sape, the founder of Women-in-Business.
She died after a long illness last week in Port Moresby.
She was one of the strongest advocates of involving women in business.
She set up the Women’s Micro Bank and the Women-in-Business trade centre in Port Moresby.
Ann Polon Kaki, who looks after the trade centre, said Sape’s legacy would live on in the business community, especially among the hundreds of women she had been able to help earn a living through business.
She said Sape’s foundations were supported by the Bank of Papua New Guinea, National Capital District governor Powes Parkop and Micro Bank.
“Her physical presence will not be here but she had established herself and got people employed, organised and delegate work properly so that work will continue in her foundations,” Kaki said.
“There is no doubt that because she had gone, her work would continue as what she left behind would be her legacy.”
Kaki said the family was still working on funeral arrangements.
Sape is from Wabag and married to a man from Gulf. They have six children.
She founded the Women’s Micro Bank in 2014 – the first of its type in the Pacific, and the fourth in the world.
Sape founded the women in business trade centre in 2016 to develop financial literacy among women.
She was named by Apec as the first winner of PNG’s Iconic Women in 2015. In the same year, she became Westpac’s Outstanding Woman of the Year.
She was unsuccessful as a candidate in the past three national elections.
She contested the Moresby North-West seat this year.
She was one of the Pacific’s best known advocates on women’s issues, particularly on the need for women’s economic empowerment and financial freedom.
Sape was recently admitted at the Port Moresby General Hospital after a long illness.