By James Marape - Prime Minister of PNG
I write in this instance to clarify on our government’s one of three signature policies and encourage all of you educated PNGeans to do your bit by disseminating information to your family , your tribes, your associates for clarity and participation.
We have higher education loan program ( HELP) that should embrace all citizens and residents who leave school at year 8, year 10 and year 12; we also have the CONNECT PNG program that should link all our districts , provinces and country with enabling infrastructures like roads, power and communications; and we have our business incubation policy.
This write up will discuss on the business policy and our government’s desire to get more of our people , educated and non educated, rural and urbanite , female and male, nambis na hilans, Papuan, New Guinean and Bougainvillian, all able PNGeans to go into business in the next 10 years and beyond.
In our 2020 budget, we put K200million following on from the K100 miliion we set aside in 2019 supplementary budget for Micro, Small and Medium Businesses in our country.
As I promised in my first dialogue with TTPNG at ICC and others since that our focus is empowering PNGeans to get into businesses, this funding will hopefully assist both new startups and existing businesses.
I have requested our local banks including NDB to participate in this where we looking at very soft credit facility ( as low as 4% ) and easier terms including longer repayment period ( over 20 years ).
During Pangu Party dinner on the 21st of December more details of this initiative will be announced. But one thing is certain, this will not be distributed by DDAs or PGs or National government but through a Bank that meets our criteria to assist PNGean businesses.
We will have a nationwide cover on this program including 10% of this allocation be made available for Bouganvile businesses. So I encourage you all, instead of waiting for job, create job yourself as your participation in these many forums of debates shows that many of you have brilliant ideas.
The other day , a lady guest of our country in her effort to downplay our government, labeled our people as poor and can not afford school fees. Friends I don’t buy that.
Yes most of our people might not have liquid cash but they aren’t poor. They have land and they have brain full of ideas and talents. It’s all about linking resources available to our people with market, incentives and enabling environment to generate cash.
I want to encourage those of you here, educated you are, find a space in your life for business. As an example, I look at my cousin Johny Philip and few other non LNG based Huli business men/women including the non formally educated owners of property in our cities and towns; they built business not through political help or magic but starting small and working hard over many years.
If they have done it, rest of you can do it, you not in competition but complementary business because businesses build businesses. My government will promote business growth in agriculture, in tourism, in fisheries, in manufacturing, in technology, in industries , in transportation, etc etc.
Sisters and brothers, translate your brilliant ideas into simple business concepts and step out from insecurities to secure your life and your country’s going forward by going into business ventures.
I look at other business women and men from all parts of our country who started off well but are now struggling. I look at youths who come out of universities and colleges finding no formal jobs. I think of massive grade 8s, and 10s and 12 leavers with no opportunity for continual education. We want to assist you through this program. Think business, start business, this is part of taking back PNG.
A large part of ‘taking back PNG’ from the hands of greedy few is to ensure more of PNGEANS go into business instead of us being bystanders. If in the next 10 years we build up over 100,000 MSMEs, imagine how many jobs we would create and additional tax into our economy.
My dream for PNG to be the “richest black Christian nation” is not like John F Kennedy’s dream in 1961 to put few American to moon in 10 years, mine is the easier one if all of us dig in and do our part for our country.
President JFK did not live to see his dream fulfilled under 10 years when President Nixon saw N Armstrong walk on moon 20 July 1969. God willing I want to live in a country 10 years from now where landowners , forest owners and sea owners of PNG are in businesses.
Those of you who own timber resources, mobilise and do sustainable timber harvest with downstream focus. Those in calmer coastal provinces, go into fisheries, agriculture and tourism.
Highlanders let’s go back to coffee, tea, and other agriculture plus other businesses in transport , real estate , stores etc like what some of our seniors did, enough of talking and doing nothing.
Government is now incentivising business incubation in this program plus better simplified tax regimes we introducing for MSMEs.
Our partner banks will be told that with minimum of 200m per year allocation , that is an envelope of over K2billion from 2020 to 2030 just on MSME security and loan assistance that we will inject into the partner bank or banks to issue loans to interested and willing PNGeans.
Enough of talking and seeking job, join me in creating job on the business sector. Go back rally your tribe , your family , your network or yourself into business.
Sorry I write myself and in haste sometimes I do typo errors but I hope I brought few clarities.
I will despatch next write up on education policy where parents and local MPs plus governors will assist with 50% of cost at elementary to grade 12 and national government picks up the balance plus assisting school leavers through HELP for universities, colleges and technical vocational courses.
Prime Minister
James Marape
