LOs trained to be business-minded

Impacted landowners in the Ramu nickel/cobalt project, in Madang, have been trained to properly handle their spin-off businesses.

The landowners, from Kurumbukari, Inland Pipeline (Maigari), Coastal Pipeline and Basamuk, recently attended a personal viability workshop conducted by the Human Development Institute from March 13-15.

Founder and CEO of Human Development Institute (personal viability program), Samuel Tam Su, popularly known as “Papa Sam”, presented very basic and important principles on how to grow and develop an individual to be business minded.

He said due to lack of education, many Papua New Guineans spend most of their hard earned money and do not save for future use, or to establish businesses.

“You could find the locals stroll into the shop with huge trolleys and spend all of their hard earned cash. They have no other savings and what they receive from salaries or wages is spent on shopping,” said Papa Sam.

“Why this is happening in this country? Because there is no proper education on human development. The people lack knowledge on how to be viable.”

He said when people get their mindsets right, there won’t be any mismanagements and business failures.

“If you think about your neck and stomach for today then this country will remain the same and others will take over and rule over you,” he added.

Host and representative of Ramu NiCo’s Community Affairs Department, Albert Tobe, urged the landowners to make use of the opportunity and make changes to see tangible results in their landowner companies.

“We (MCC) host this meeting but we cannot force you to accept the training from this institution or to be established here. It is up to you, the landowners, to decide,” Tobe said.

The motto of the viability program is, “Be Viable”, meaning a person has to change and anticipate seeing a better world and future. A viable person is one who has developed a rich mindset and sufficient personal power.

Papa Sam, who is from Rabaul, East New Britain, was once the director of National Development Bank from 1982 to 1988, and also the founder of Stret Pasin Stoa Scheme, a very successful business scheme so far in the history of PNG.

Sam owns a chain of stores and other businesses around the country. Since the commencement of the Human Development Institute, more than 40,000 people have been educated.

The two-day workshop was organised and facilitated by nickel/colbalt mine developer Ramu NiCo Management (MCC).

(Ramu project landowners who attended the training)