Kevin Nyango
TechInPacific – Papua New Guinea is a country in the Pacific region with a total of 8.5 million population. With its booming population, PNG comes as one of the new technology hubs in the Pacific region with growing internet penetration and middle class. Furthermore, access to social media and mobile data are fairly large, leading to the coverage of 4G services.
Due to the booming of technology and internet penetration across the nation, PNG has produced local startups for the past years. The local startup ecosystem is received great support from its High Commission as well as the neighbor country, Australia. With the rapid growth of technology and internet connection, the local startup ecosystem is also booming accordingly.
A global association for mobile operators with over 800 members worldwide, GSMA, has just announced the 3rd cohort of 11 new startups to join its program called Ecosystem Accelerator Innovation Fund portfolio. The program is supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the Australian Government, the GSMA and members. Additionally, the members of GSMA will offer grants for selected projects from the selected startups.
Among the 11 selected startups from 23 different countries worldwide, two startups are from the Pacific region. One of the startups is PNGhometask.com of Pacific Ads Group from Papua New Guinea. The startup was founded by Australians: Fredrik Orrenius and Axel Peyriere and Papua New Guineans: Nancy Lai and Andrew Runawery. PNGhometask.com is the first startup in PNG to participate in the program.
PNGhometask.com is a part of Emerging Classifieds Ventures, one of the largest operator of online marketplaces in the emerging market worldwide. Its main activities are mostly in Africa and in the Pacific with automotive and real estate marketplaces. In PNG, PNGhometask.com also gets benefit from the customer base of Pacific Ads Group other portals, including PNGautos.com and myPNGhome.com.
PNGhometask.com focuses on three main things, including matching local home services and improvement professionals with local customers, solving the huge trust issue, as well as saving customers from scammy workers. It enables local customers to post job requests and get insights from verified professionals who will provide their best service in order to get the best reviews possible.
The platform can also be used by local professionals to manage their business, projects, and customers. Moreover, it can also help to increase efficiency, professionalism, revenue, and achieve business goals faster.
The Co-Founder of PNGhometask.com, Andrew Runawery said: “It is really exciting to see global organizations such as GSMA and the Australian Government, supporting local innovation that will bring more transparency between consumers and business locally, and have a real social impact on the local society. It is a first in Papua New Guinea, and will definitely resonate and stimulate others initiatives locally, as well as attracting international investments in PNG startups.”
Visit www.pacificadsgroup.com and www.pnghometask.com to know more about Pacific Ads Group and PNGhometask.com. You can also drop an email to [email protected] if you have a question(s) about the platform.
