Support system vital: Academic

HAVING a support system is important to every start-up business in the country, an academic says.
University of Papua New Guinea school of business and public policy executive dean Prof Lekshmi Pillai said networking was an important element that start-ups needed to consider.
“An impediment for start-ups in PNG is the support system,” he said.
“If you look at other countries, that is the key to developing, they do not just start businesses, they also create a support system.
“If a Papua New Guinean develops a product, there must be an organisation that takes the product to the outside world or even within the country, a promotional organisation, so that is the support system.”
Pillai added that support systems for start-ups were lacking in PNG.
“For example, bilums – how many people are there to sell it, how do you sell it, who do you sell to – that is a major issue.”
He said one could not expect an entrepreneur to have expert knowledge of everything.