Story from:
13 Oct 2022
Strengthening sustainable business, trade and investment ties between the EU, PNG and the Pacific
The Two day EU PNG Trade Conference (11th-12th, October, 2022) held at the APEC Haus was designed to help increase business contacts, discover new business opportunities and new collaboration partners between the EU and PNG, Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Timor-Leste with particular attention to trade and investment aspects of sustainable development.
The first day featured an opening session serving as a "curtain raiser" for the two-day program with round-table discussion panels and a business matchmaking session. Market analysis for specific economic sectors identified as potential priorities for trade and investment in PNG. Ihu Special Economic Zone (ISEZ) was one of these key potential priorities.
Managing Director of Ihu SEZ, Mr Peter Kengemar presented the status quo of the project in Ihu Kikori District.
The first stage of project has been achieved with the concept design phase. Mr. Kengemar explained that the second stage is the physical planning aspects of the programs with social mapping, land mobilization and environmental impact studies. The exercise is to qualify the project to acquire the environment permit and land permit before the project commences. He also stated that the resource custodians are captured under the current MSME projects and programs run by ISEZ across four (4) Local Level Governments of Kikori Districts. He emphasized that 76 sites with 780 participants have been certified under the training program.
Kikori being a rich resourceful district with gas, oil, water, timber and marine resources, the current Member for Kikori, Hon. Soroi Eoe has in vision to ensure its resources under the SEZ program is an anchor to maximize the benefit for its people and the country for a prosperous future.
After the first and second European Union-Papua New Guinea Business, Trade & Investment Conference that were held back in 2019 and 2021, this one was seen as the reaffirmed step of EU's commitment to support the further development of EU trade and investment in PNG and other five EPA States (including Tonga and Timor Leste).
The conference provided great awareness opportunities, not only for the ISEZ SME team alone, but for ISEZ Project Development Office as a whole and the major projects planned for the District of Kikori. Two High-Profile visitors came to visit the ISEZ Team to show their support for the forthcoming projects and express their appreciation for the work done by ISEZ.
Day 2 of the EU PNG Expo was a success. The atmosphere was great, the weather was great, and the way information was being shared and taken in was fantastic. Day two truly gave the meaning to the name of the event. It was truly why the event was so important and very much needed to a lot of local SMEs.
SME Team Leader, Michael O'Kave, lead the ISEZ Team to attend the two-day European Union Papua New Guinea Trade & Investment Conference at the APEC Haus.
Michael is a key figure in ISEZs SME Program. He has spent many hours on the ground with the local people of Ihu facilitating SME training programs.
Being a local himself, Michael is driven to help build his people's mind-sets in starting a sustainable way of life that provides for their family needs. Educating the locals and starting up local SMEs is the way forward.
The Panel Discussions:
(1). Navigating the business environment-the impact of the regulatory framework for business.
(2). Skilled and unskilled labour, how to boost employment in the formal sector.
(3). Global value chains: from the farmer to the EU market.
(4). Policies to boost business, trade and investment in the EPA countries.
(5). Governance, law and order, the impact of corruption in doing business.
(6). Social enterprise and shared value.
ISEZ MSME team participated in the two days European Union Exposition 2022 Business Conference featuring the local MSME participants from the Papua New Guinea and the Pacific nations. Three participants from the Kikori Districts were invited to participate in the exposition to showcase their produce from the Kikori Districts. According to the participants, it was a great opportunity and a learning experience. Participants have established networking arrangements.
Mark Loipe an aspiring timber and cocoa grower, said that with this exposure he is more confident to fully engage in agricultural farming activities. Simon Namari, a rice grower in Baimuru also shared the same view. He said, he is returning home with new motivation to work on the land to increase rice production and also to capture ISEZ MSME vision to empower local community to engage in business.