Women’s future in garment brightens

 THE Government is committed to supporting women professionals as well as those in the informal sector to go into business fulltime or part-time.

Minister for Trade Commerce and Industry Richard Maru said that during the commissioning of the Refurbishing Garment and Textile training wing in the Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC) office in Port Moresby yesterday.

He said the Government was not only committed in refurbishing the centre but would invest in equipment to train women and upskill them to start their own garment and tailoring businesses.

“Clothing in PNG is a billion-kina industry and we only have to see the success of the second-hand clothing industry to see this high demand instead of having to import cheap clothes from other countries.

“I challenge our mothers to dream big and work to gain relevant industry experience to start your own business from what you’ve learnt rather than being just an employee of a clothing manufacturing company,” he said.

He said if people sat and did nothing, investors from other countries would come and set up in PNG and Papua New Guineans would be like spectators, like they had been in the last 39 years.

 Maru also encouraged the SBDC management to organise a train-a-trainer skills course to certify women who were trained here with appropriate commercial experience. He said these skilled women could set up similar training centres in cities, provinces and districts so that they could pass on their skills to women who had talent and passion to make careers and ventures into business in the garment and textile industry.

SBDC acting general manager Henry Marasembi commended the Government for supporting  mothers by funding and supporting in the development of a modernised garment and textile centre. “We are happily looking forward to the Government for further support to see our women and girls succeed in the tailoring business in our country,” he said.