THE Internet provided the opportunity for women to access a larger business than the one they are used to, says an APEC official says
Co-chair of the APEC Business Advisor Council Doris Magsaysay-Ho said people traditionally sold to communities nearer to them but online technology gave them access to trade across borders.
“I understand that your government is putting money to maintain the bilum (string bags) trade, so how do we make sure that what they are doing is serving both the traditions of that wonderful art form and the demands of the market,” she said.
“How do you get your payment systems, delivery systems in place, how are you able to finance your internet and these are the types of things that government policies across APEC have to address.
“You have oil and gas, you have agriculture, you have the blue oceans you have so many opportunities and in each of these different sectors there is opportunity for technological change, products and new inventions so that people can see a new vision.
“The greatest opportunity for the future is to be a creator within that sector and therefore what it means is to have educational structures that allow creativity, that bring up intuition that bring up math science and engineering and all these kinds of things.
“It’s kind of a new mind set and every economy in APEC must be able to do this or else they’re not going to be a part of it,” she said.
In response to questions of whether PNG was prepared to host APEC in 2018, Magsaysay-Ho said: “Even for us in the Philippines it’s really exciting to be able to host and of course no one has ever perfectly prepared themselves but I think what’s fantastic is that you have three years to plan.
“In my experience, business sector working with the public sector to understand what PNG wants to avail of as far as its own strategic plan is in free trade.
“It’s really business civil society and every one and you have the time, it’s a fantastic opportunity so when you enter the hosting year you have a very clear understanding for this, that will allow your population, your people your youth your women to benefit from free trade.”
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