World Indigenous Business Forum (WIBF)

Minister for International Trade and Investment, Richard Maru, acknowledged Teachers Savings and Loan Society (TISA) for their bold move in becoming WIBF’s 2023 platinum sponsor.

Founder and President of the Indigenous Leadership Development Institute Inc. (ILDII), Rosa Walker, said it’s a bidding process. She said hosting the WIBF by a particular country could have an economic impact of two to five million dollars for the local economy.

“So right now we are working with countries to come here some of them include; Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, United States, Columbia, Chile and Guatemala. We have those particular countries who will be represented here in PNG,” Walker said.

Vice Minister of International Trade and Investment Kessy Sawang, who is also Chair of the local Organizing Steering Committee for the WIBF PNG 2023, welcomed the chief executive officer, Rosa Walker and Mackenzie Oatway, who will be in the country for four days.

WIBF has the mission of ‘connecting indigenous business owners from around the world to create a global network of indigenous entrepreneurs’.

This event will be an opportunity for Indigenous entrepreneurs from all around the world to come together, network, and share their experiences and knowledge.

The two-day event is estimated to be hosted at a cost of over K6 million. The National Government has already committed K2 million towards this event.

The Steering Committee for the 2023 WIBF Papua New Guinea is tasked to organize the country’s biggest national event since the APEC meeting in 2018.

Papua New Guinea for the first time is the third of three countries to host this global event in the Asia-Pacific, apart from Australia and New Zealand.

Established in 2009, the World Indigenous Business Forum or WIBF aims to connect, share, inspire, mobilize and support organizations and entrepreneurs in the sustainable development of indigenous businesses and their communities from across the globe.

Minister Maru thanked the National Government and the National Executive Council (NEC) for the allocation of K2 million as GoPNG’s contribution towards the event.