Women’s businesses did well: Survey

DESPITE the challenges posed by the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic in the country, businesses owned and operated by women managed through the difficult period, according to a survey.
Last July, the Centre for International Private Enterprise (Cipe) released a survey report, Covid-19’s arrival in PNG: Impacts on women-owned and -operated MSMEs, which examined the impact of the global pandemic on 298 women entrepreneurs and their businesses.
The survey revealed that the pandemic not only altered the business environment in the country but increased difficulties faced by businesses owned and operated by women.
Cipe, through its programme PNG Women’s Business Resource Centre, carried out a second assessment in the second quarter of this year to examine the ongoing impacts of Covid-19 on 144 women-operated businesses in the country.
Questions were given to a total of 144 women entrepreneurs around the country
The report indicated that 23.1 per cent of women surveyed noted positive or no impact to their businesses and others noted an increase in sales and new business opportunities, a higher percentage to the initial survey conducted last year.