The Papua New Guinea Women’s Business Resource Centre (PNG WBRC) is a secure space where women can take steps to start and grow their own businesses. CIPE launched the initiative with initial investment from the U.S. Department of State and the Government of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade under the Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development portfolio. The goal was to encourage, support, and reward women’s entrepreneurship in PNG.
The Port Moresby WBRC, opened in 2016, was the first women’s center established by CIPE and the only center of its kind in PNG. The WBRC focuses on a few of the major barriers to women’s economic empowerment in the country, including lack of business skills, and access to capital and technology. In Papua New Guinea, women face many challenges, such as working in the informal economy and being victims of gender-based violence and sexual harassment (GBVH). These circumstances limit their economic participation. While the WBRC was created to support the entrepreneurial ecosystem for women, it provides so much more by also offering a safe space, social and business exchanges and other social services. Click the attached case study to learn more.
Published Date: January 27, 2022