The National, 01st May 2012
http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/32144
By ANCILLA WRAKUALE

PEOPLE living in rural areas need more government empowerment to assist them venture into  small business, Minister for Trade and Industry Charles Abel says.
He said it was time the government provided services to rural areas that would enable people to venture into business.
Abel was speaking at the graduation ceremony of 49 women who underwent business training conducted by the Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC), at the Masurina Lodge in Alotau last Friday.
“Only few people own wealth and we need to reverse the trend if we are to survive in the long term,” he said.
Abel said that:
-Most businesses were owned by foreigners and there was a need for change;
-The Melanesian culture had an impact on the way we did business and it would be better to incorporate modern ways of doing business into our culture;
-The small medium enterprise (SME) policy went back to 1996 and was outdated; and
-The new 2012 SME policy would help in preserving businesses for locals.

SBDC women-in-busi­ness officer Maria Kalap said people wanted to venture into small businesses but they lacked the know-how.
Kalap, facilitator of the start improve your business (SYIB) training for women in Alotau, said SYIB was an internationally-recognised programme with International Labour Organisation (ILO) and was delivered in 96 countries worldwide.
She said SBDC had the mandate to promote SMEs and they would continue to instill knowledge and skills in those trying to start businesses or help improve existing businesses.
Kalap said the training had proven successful in PNG