Tibu uses his technical skills to earn a living

TAI Tibu has been using his skills to earn money in the informal sector in Port Moresby.
The 35-year-old had been selling barbecue stands and ovens which he made from scrap metals at a roadside in Gordons since 2019.
Tubu acquired his skill from courses he undertook in metal fabrication at Morata Lions Technical School in Port Moresby in 2009 and in wielding fabrication at a college in Baguio province, Philippines.
Tibu worked with several companies in Port Moresby since 2011 after returning from the Philippines but became unemployed afterwards and had been without a job since 2018.
But he did not want to let his skills go to waste. The father of two daughters said one had to do something to earn an income.
“I do only barbecue stands and have been selling them here on the roadside at Gordon since 2020.
“I collect metal scraps and gas bottles and fix them up.”
His prices ranged from around K350 to K600.
“But there is always negotiation for prices on the street,” he said.
He said, currently, it took around two months to sell a particular item compared to when he first started in 2019 to 2020, when an item was sold within two weeks.
“From 2021 onwards, it takes me like two months, I see that the Coronavirus (Covid-19) has also affected my sales,” he said.