Nabilah S
In Port Moresby, 16 green entrepreneurs, half of whom were women, graduated from the Global Green Growth Institute’s Pacific Green Entrepreneurs Network (PGEN) incubator program (GGGI).
The four-month program included business training and mentoring, and those who finished it got Certificates of Excellence and Completion.
The Qatar Fund for Development pays for the PGEN program, which the GGGI runs in partnership with the Climate Change Development Authority and Emstret Space. The program aims to help small and medium businesses from Pacific GGGI member countries, like Papua New Guinea, develop or grow their green business ideas and start-ups.
There was also a business plan contest as part of the training. Five winners were chosen and given seed grants to help them start or grow their businesses.
Representatives from the CCDA, SME Corporation, GGGI, E-Space, and E-Space were there, along with graduates, family, and friends. Ratu Sakiusa Tuisolia, who works for GGGI in Papua New Guinea, congratulated the graduates and thanked the Government of Qatar and QFFD for paying for the PGEN program.
In his opening speech, Mr. Tuisolia called the graduation a big deal and talked about how important the SME sector is in PNG.
He pointed out that most of the country’s $25 billion economy is based on extractive industries like mining, oil, and gas, which don’t help most of the 9 million people who live there. So, the 16 smart graduates’ work to grow SMEs will help diversify the country’s economy, bring in new investments, and create green jobs.
William Lakain, who is the acting managing director of the CCDA, also talked about the importance of innovation in the SME sector and how it can help with environmental issues and climate change. He said the government backs GGGI and QFFD’s PGEN plan to help create green jobs and build PNG’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Tony Darlie, who is the acting managing director of the SME Corporation, spoke to the graduates and backed the high-quality PGEN green preneurship incubator program.
He said that the PGEN program fits with the government’s goal of growing the SME sector and business in PNG.
Overall, the graduation ceremony celebrated the successes of PNG’s green entrepreneurs and a tribute to the impactful and successful PGEN incubator program.
