Australian High Commission
Papua New Guinea

Alola Trade Centre in Oro hosts handicrafts workshop to boost local business

Local artisans in Alola and Abuari villages in Northern Province have boosted their business prospects by improving their ability to craft cultural items through a product development workshop.

Thirty people from the area received training at this weeklong workshop at the Alola Trade Centre.

Participants who completed the workshop are now confident in creating authentic, high-quality Oro products – including cane baskets, bilums and pandanus mats – to sell to tourists once trekking resumes in the Kokoda Track region.

Janet Lee from the nearby Abuari village was among those who shared skills and exchanged knowledge on a range of local handicrafts.

“Through this training I made my first mat. I learnt how to make various patterns in a mat and I am excited to be making more mats to sell to trekkers and tourists,” Ms Lee said.

The local artisans crafts will be displayed at the trade centres adjoined to the three community museums on the Kokoda Track, constructed with support from the National Museum and Art Gallery and the Australian Government.

Product development workshops are part of the Alola trade centre program supported by the Kokoda Initiative – a partnership between Papua New Guinea and Australia that empowers local people through community driven development.

This workshop includes financial literacy training to strengthen small businesses and enhance economic productivity in the Kokoda Track region.

For further information, including access to related materials, please contact the Australian High Commission media team: +675 7090 0100

 

Janet Lee - a participant at the Alola workshop shows off her mat