SMEs need more funds
The National, Wednesday March 12th, 2014
By ZACHERY PER
OPPOSITION Leader Belden Namah has pledged more funding for small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) should he become the next prime minister.
“The current government and the National Development Bank (NDB) did not put enough money into SMEs to allow every citizen of this country to make use of it to engage in business.
“I have a strong belief that I could make every Papua New Guinean a millionaire through the SME programme,” Namah said.
The Opposition leader was in Goroka Eastern Highlands over the weekend to open a new service station at Ketarabo village on the southern fringe of Goroka.
He used the occasion to outline his vision to support small businesses and entrepreneurs in PNG.
Namah said the government had slashed K150 million budgeted for church partnership to only K25 million.
He said the government had to make every effort to empower every Papua New Guinean, but this has been lacking under the present government.
He commended a longtime friend Terry Koim and his wife Serah Koim for working hard to build a service station.
Namah had appealed to the people to look after the fuel station as it would bring services to their doorstep.
Several speakers praised the Koim couple for investing in the service station.
Namah presented K10,000 to the Koims to cover the service station’s launching expenses.