FAO fosters agripreneurship and gender equality in business leadership in Papua New Guinea

EU-STREIT PNG Programme empowers a new batch of agri-food entrepreneurs in business management skills and gender and youth inclusion to support the sustainable development of agri-food value chains in Papua New Guinea.

Wewak, Papua New Guinea - Entrepreneurs from East Sepik Province have benefited from a weeklong workshop themed “Group Enterprise Development” that aimed to equip them with essential management skills and promote gender equality in leadership roles in agri-business groups. As part of the implementation of the European Union-funded STREIT PNG Programme, the workshop was organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

According to Ms Patu Shang, the FAO Gender and Youth Inclusion Specialist who led the capacity-building workshop, poor accountability and management are the leading cause of business failure. One of the reasons for the many failures is that women and youths are often not included in leadership positions within groups. The workshop aimed to upskill women and youth in managerial positions, thereby building their confidence to manage the operation of their group businesses for sustainability.

The workshop, which attracted 48 participants, including women and youths, provided a rewarding opportunity for discussions and group work as well as presentations on Group Agribusiness Management, Group Dynamics, Financial Literacy, and Gender and Youth Inclusion in agri-businesses.

Female participant Lindsay Kiang, Secretary of Mate Fish Farming Group from Burui-Kunai LLG, Wosera-Gawi District, East Sepik Province, expressed her satisfaction with the training, stating: “What I have learned is more important than the boats and cars we need for our businesses because these are material things that will not last long, but the information with skills and knowledge that have been imparted unto us, such as how to manage our money, is enduring and will support us in the long run, not only in our businesses but also in our daily living.”

Throughout the workshop, interactive group exercises were assigned to participants on examples of how to prepare cashbooks, debtors’ records, credit records, labour records, cash flow, and balance sheets, to better manage the revenues and expenses of businesses.

The capacity-building workshop concluded with a study tour of the FAO Thiaroye Technology (FTT) fish-processing set-up in Karawap in Wewak District, which the Programme is piloting in partnership with Karawambo Women’s Business Group with a membership of 200 women, including of 74 female youths. The FTT technology supports fishers, particularly fisherwomen, to own and operate profitable fish processing businesses by diversifying their products, reducing post-harvest losses, extending fish shelf life, and increasing the competitiveness of their fish products.

The EU-STREIT PNG, being implemented as a UN Joint Programme (FAO as leading agency/administrative agent, and ILO, ITU, UNCDF and UNDP as implementing partners), is the largest grant-funded Programme of the European Union in the country and the Pacific region. the Programme focuses on increasing sustainable and inclusive economic development of rural areas through Increasing the economic returns and opportunities from cocoa, vanilla and fishery value chains and strengthening and improving the efficiency of value chain enablers including the business environment and supporting sustainable, climate-resilient transport and energy infrastructure development.

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