The SME Corporation and the Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA) signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism sector. The signing coincided with the graduation of newly certified trainers under the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) Training of Trainers (TOT) program.
The event marked a dual celebration, formal recognition of the new trainers and the beginning of an inter-agency collaboration designed to uplift the SME sector and boost economic development through tourism.
Director of BACB, Diana Guria, in her welcome remarks, acknowledged the importance of the occasion.
“It is my great honour and pleasure to warmly welcome you today to celebrate two important and significant milestones, the graduation of the ILO SRYB trainers and the signing of an MoU between SME Corporation and Tourism Promotion Authority.”
She emphasized the impact on the nation such training and the global standard presents.
“You have equipped yourself with a world-class business training methodology… It is a training program that is creating impact across more than 100 countries globally.”
She further noted that the MoU would help “unlock new avenues for economic development” and “create jobs in terms of creating employment through SMEs.”
Representing the newly graduated trainers, Anne Saramasi, praised the facilitators and sponsors who made the training possible.
“Your vision, commitment, and support have been the backbone of this seminar. Without your generosity, none of this would have been possible.”
She called on her peers to put their knowledge into action:
“This isn’t the end. It’s just the beginning of a new era. I urge each of you to harness these skills… to drive change in your organizations and communities.”
Douglas Geari, a TPA officer and TOT participant, shared his experience of the program:
“We were taken through various different methodologies on how to deliver a training… With that knowledge, I think we will go out there and do the country a good service as advocates and as trainers.”
SME Corporation Managing Director, Petrus Ralda, highlighted the significance of inter-agency collaboration and said “Resources are always limited… To make maximum impact, stakeholders with common objectives should work together.”
He stressed the relevance of the program to PNG’s national development goals:
“If we want to make PNG better, economically and socially, it’s the people that we have to change.”
Ralda also extended gratitude to his staff and partners for delivering a successful training and for being part of the change process aimed at transitioning PNG’s informal sector into a more productive and entrepreneurial economy.
The MoU signing and TOT graduation are seen as critical steps in building a network of trained professionals capable of delivering quality business development services to grassroots entrepreneurs, particularly in the tourism sector.