Bright ideas rewarded at PNG Innovation Awards in Port Moresby
Two of the most innovative projects in PNG have been recognised at the inaugural Innovation PNG Awards.
The inaugural Innovation PNG Awards were presented late last year at the Innovation PNG conference at the Stanley Hotel in Port Moresby. The conference and awards were an initiative of the Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Business Advantage International (publisher of this magazine).
The awards were created to celebrate and encourage innovation in PNG business, government and organisations.
There were 33 entries from 29 organisations covering industries as diverse as agribusiness, manufacturing, telecommunications, tourism, education, technology, mining, infrastructure, engineering and financial services.
After much discussion and deliberation, the judging panel, chaired by Peter Williams, a thought leader and practitioner of innovation at the Deloitte Centre for The Edge, decided on SP Brewery’s cassava project as the winner in the large organisation category (over 10 employees) and Sustainable
Alluvial Mining Services as the winner in the small organisation category (less than 10 employees).
SP Brewery’s project includes the production of cassava for its new alcoholic beverage, Pawa Punch, which is being manufactured at its cassava factory at Erap in the Markham Valley.
The judges noted that the cassava project has a massive scope and innovates both in agribusiness and product development.
“This imaginative and complex program is the first cassava project in the country and has the potential to encourage others to replace imports with locally grown produce, delivering a positive economic impact,” the judges said.
Sustainable Alluvial Mining Services won for its support program for alluvial miners.
It is a non-profit organisation established to assist artisanal small-scale miners in conducting their activities responsibly, to help government organisations with technical advice to understand the sector to develop policies applicable to the industry, and to ensure the sector can be a driver for sustainable rural development.
The judges noted “the project shows potential to help advance a sector unique to PNG that hasn’t received the attention and resources it deserves”.
If properly encouraged, they said, the project has the potential to help in the development of small-to-medium enterprises across the country.
Williams said the judges were “blown away” by the entries, which covered all kinds of innovation, from the development of new products, services and software, to ingenious marketing ideas and the adaptation of offshore solutions to PNG conditions.
The judges said that several entries showed sufficient promise and potential to be considered ‘ones to watch’.
They included:
TIPA Innovations from the Trobriand Islands, for its Smart Bricks, which are made from cheap, locally-available materials.
Siale Travel and Tours, for its reservations and ticketing system for small travel agents.
Rural Tech Development, for its Internet of Things ecosystem in Port Moresby and robotics program.
D’jest Investment Ltd trading as
Tumbuna TV, for its mobile TV app. In addition, the judges said the following projects merited special commendation:
Outspan PNG, for its deployment of a tech-driven system to collect and analyse information on PNG’s smallholder farmers.
ICTSI South Pacific Ltd, for its digital transformation project, which has the potential to greatly improve terminal operations in PNG.
Huon Birding, for its innovative birdwatching camp on the Huon Peninsula in Morobe Province, which collapses into a shipping container when not in use.
The innovation conference was opened by the Prime Minister, James Marape, and featured a variety of talks, discussions and activities aimed at inspiring, informing and entertaining attendees.
Keynote presentations from international experts included Williams, Hewlett Packard’s Megatrends ambassador Paul Burman, and PwC’s Telecom, Media and Technology sector leader, Mohammad Chowdhury.
There were practical workshops for organisations on skills and insights needed for innovation, on low and no-cost tools to make organisations more productive, and how to handle cyber security in the digital era.
There was also an expo featuring some of PNG’s most innovative companies. They included products and services such as software, apps, drones, robots, ecommerce, eGovernment and digital banking.
Next page, the conference in photos.