๐๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ค๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ง๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐๐ซ๐๐๐
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Workshop on โGrowing Indigenous Business Through Tradeโ was successfully held at the Hilton Hotel, Port Moresby, from 29โ30 September 2025.
The two-day event was facilitated by the Australian Export Council in partnership with the Papua New Guinea National Trade Office (NTO), bringing together Indigenous entrepreneurs and small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) from across the country.
In his opening and welcome remarks, Chief Trade Officer, Mr. Richard Yakam, thanked the Australian Government, the Export Council of Australia, the APEC Secretariat, and the National Trade Office for supporting and facilitating this important workshop. He emphasized the crucial role SMEs play in economic development and underscored the strategic importance of Indigenous participation in trade.
Mr. Yakam highlighted that Indigenous SMEs not only drive inclusive growth and sustainable development but also play a vital role in cultural preservation and regional economic advancement.
Mr. Yakam also announced that the National Trade Office has secured NEC approval to fully expand its Export Support Program starting in 2026. This initiative is designed to assist SMEs that are on the verge of entering international trade, by streamlining processes, frameworks, and procedures to ensure greater access and readiness for global markets.
He encouraged participants to pay close attention to the expertsโ presentations during the workshop, noting that the knowledge shared would be crucial in helping to boost local SMEs into competitive export businesses.
The workshop featured practical training sessions covering export readiness, branding and digital marketing, cross-border trade strategies, and trade compliance requirements. Facilitators also shared success stories from Indigenous exporters across the APEC region, inspiring participants to explore new market opportunities.
A strong number of Indigenous SMEs actively participated in the workshop, demonstrating the growing interest in trade-driven development.
At the conclusion, all participants were awarded certificates of participation in recognition of their commitment to business growth and regional engagement.
Building on the success of the Port Moresby workshop, the second phase of the program commenced in Lae on 2 October and concludes today, 3 October 2025, continuing the momentum of empowering Indigenous businesses and strengthening Papua New Guineaโs role in inclusive trade within the APEC region.
