Papua New Guinea women entrepreneurs were recognized and celebrated for their resilience and business achievements during an International Women’s Day event hosted by the Centre for Excellence in Financial Inclusion (CEFI) in Port Moresby.
The event, held at the Crown Hotel on Friday, March 6, brought together representatives from CEFI and Business Link Pacific (BLP), alongside six women small and medium enterprise (SME) owners who shared their inspiring journeys of starting and growing their businesses with the support of the two organizations.
Speakers at the event emphasized that empowering women through financial inclusion, access to business advisory services and financing opportunities remains critical to strengthening Papua New Guinea’s SME sector.
CEFI Acting Executive Director, Mr Peter Samuel, highlighted the significance of empowering women entrepreneurs and expanding financial inclusion.
Mr Samuel said International Women’s Day was not only a time to celebrate the achievements of women worldwide, but also an opportunity to acknowledge the challenges many women in Papua New Guinea continue to face in the social and economic landscape.
He noted that traditional cultural and societal structures had historically limited women’s participation in business and financial decision-making, although positive change was gradually taking place.
Mr Samuel explained that providing women with access to financial services remained central to CEFI’s mission.
“When we give a woman financial autonomy, she gains control of her own destiny and the power to prosper over situations and barriers that confront her,” he said. He also highlighted the partnership between CEFI and Business Link Pacific, a programme funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which supports SMEs through advisory services, financial solutions and business development support.
Mr Samuel said CEFI works to identify and prepare women-owned SMEs through training and diagnostic assessments before referring them to BLP for further assistance, including advisory services, grants, concessional loans and access to the Co-Investment Fund.
According to Mr Samuel, the collaboration has enabled many women to transform their business ideas into sustainable enterprises.
“When we invest in women, the benefits extend to families, communities and the wider economy,” he added.
Business Link Pacific Programme Director Mr Steve Knapp reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to supporting women-led small businesses across Papua New Guinea.
Delivering the keynote address, Mr Knapp explained that BLP focuses on strengthening micro, small and medium-sized enterprises so they can grow, expand and create employment opportunities.
He noted that women entrepreneurs remain central to the programme’s strategy, with BLP intentionally prioritizing women-led businesses while also supporting youth, rural and marginalized communities.
Mr Knapp highlighted that BLP provides grants, loans and business advisory services through a network of accredited advisors who assist SMEs in improving their operations and accessing finance.
He said partnerships with financial institutions such as Women’s Micro Bank and Kina Bank had enabled many women entrepreneurs to secure capital to expand their businesses.
Mr Knapp also acknowledged the strong collaboration with CEFI in improving financial access and business development support for women.
“When women-led businesses thrive, their communities benefit and everybody ends up better off,” he said.
BLP’s MERL, GEDSI and Communication Lead Ms Sandra Mendez congratulated women entrepreneurs for their contributions to economic and social development.
Ms Mendez emphasized that supporting women’s leadership produces far reaching benefits beyond economic gains.
“When we invest in women’s leadership, the return is not only economic but also social,” she said.
She highlighted that women SMEs play an important role in creating solutions for communities through sectors such as agriculture, tourism and trade. While acknowledging the progress made, Ms Mendez said women entrepreneurs still face barriers including limited access to finance, markets and professional networks.
She noted that CEFI and BLP continue to work together to address these challenges by providing grants, advisory services and financial inclusion initiatives designed to strengthen women-led businesses.
A highlight of the event was the testimony session where six women SME owners shared their personal experiences of starting and growing businesses with the support of CEFI and BLP.
Business consultant Ms Kopi-Like Grammon, owner of KLG & Co Business Consultants, explained that she established her firm after gaining more than 15 years of professional experience in accounting.
She said her partnership with BLP since 2019 had helped expand networks and provide SMEs with affordable access to advisory services.
Ms Grammon noted that through BLP’s subsidy scheme, her firm assists businesses with financial management, loan applications and compliance.
“When we invest in one another through mentorship and inclusion, we all move forward together,” she said.
Ms Anne-Shirley Korave, founder of Queen Pads, shared that her entrepreneurial journey began when she was young, helping her mother sell cakes by the roadside in Eastern Highlands Province.
She said the experience taught her the value of money and eventually inspired her to establish Queen Pads in 2018 after leaving her accounting job despite financial uncertainty.
“My bank balance was zero, and I had to figure things out,” she recalled.
Ms Korave said BLP supported her business by subsidizing professional services such as accounting and human resource support.
Meanwhile, Ms Lucy Wabi, owner of Mama’s Hardware, explained that her decision to start a hardware business was built on 27 years of experience in the industry.
Starting as a cashier after studying bookkeeping, she said the idea of establishing her own business developed through years of observing market demand.
“It’s not easy to start something, especially in a male-dominated industry,” Ms Wabi said, encouraging women to take calculated risks and believe in their potential.
Ms Keslyn M. Wabiyau, founder of Khay Consultancy Service, said her business journey began unexpectedly after a USAID-funded project she managed came to an end.
With more than 15 years’ experience in accounting and operations, she decided to start her consultancy with encouragement from her husband. She said support from the BLP programme strengthened her role as a business advisor assisting SMEs.
“Whatever you’re good at, that’s your talent… that’s where your business will succeed,” Ms Wabiyau said.
Entrepreneur Ms Gou Ava, founder of Blue Green Initiative, shared that she began her poultry business in Central Province with only 100 layer chickens despite having a background in environmental science rather than business.
She said a K10,000 SME grant from BLP through CEFI in 2023 significantly expanded her operations.
The funding enabled her to build additional poultry housing and purchase more chickens, increasing egg production to about 1,000 eggs per week.
Ms Ava described the grant as “very transformative” and encouraged women entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into sustainable businesses.
Ms Ruth Kiage, owner of Ezer Food Supplies, said she started her small business selling clothes and operating a food stall with limited knowledge of business management.
She explained that she later attended a business workshop where she was introduced to the BLP programme.
With support from BLP advisers, she completed a business health check and successfully applied for a grant that enabled her to purchase equipment and expand her food stall.
“Thank you BLP… now I am able to take steps forward in my business,” Ms Kiage said.