Sixty-Two participants attended a two weeks long SME training conducted by SMEC in partnership with the Buvusi AOG Church recently.
The SME Training was done in two batches. One group had 20 attendees at Kaibo while the next group of 42 trained at the Buvusi AOG church ground.
Papua New Guineans must rise up and exercise discipline in business to be successful says the Managing Director of Small Medium Enterprise Corporation Petrus Ralda. Ralda added that people have the capabilities and the resources but lack discipline.
He said most people have one bank account and mix cultures such as bride price and haus krais with business, which cause failure in business ventures. For others with money in their bank accounts, they lack discipline and spend more on things they don’t need.
He says it is time for Papua new Guineans to be innovative and be creative, have a clear set vision, and work towards achieving it.
“We have to take the initiative. Yumi mas take the initiative. Yumi mas be creative and innovative. God has blessed us with a lot of things. You came in full and we must return empty. God has given us all the potential that we came in full skills, knowledge and everything yumi come full but we have to go back empty.”
Mr. Ralda gave as an example of a businessperson in Chimbu who started his business with K3.60. The businessman bought a packet of scone for K3.60, sold it and continued from there on after and gradually his little business grew.
He purchased a wheelbarrow to help him sell more scones, eventually buying a vehicle to sell his scones. From humble beginnings, he now owns hotels and service stations under his business name Three Kina sixty Limited.
“Entrepreneurship em wanpla we ol strongpla man sa mekim. Thomas Edison em wanpla inventor. Displa lightbulb em i fail 99 times na 100th time em i mekim displa light bulb. Olgeta 99 failures kamap lesson blo em. Every failure is a lesson. It’s your stepping stone. It’s a way for you to improve your SME, your business.”
The participants were encouraged to put to good use the knowledge they gained from the training, make a difference in their lives, and fulfil the government vision of a wise, healthy and wealthy nation.
Mosa LLG President Dacca Wagai who coordinated with the SMEC Office for the training to take place, strongly urged the participants to have a savings culture and better their lives.
