Business Link Pacific (BLP) officially launched last week to help businesses in Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa and Papua New Guinea.
The Business Link Pacific portal is an online platform funded by the New Zealand Government to connect quality business advisors with small and medium-sized businesses in the Pacific region.
Over 800 businesses and business advisory service providers attended four events and networking sessions, a clear indication of the level of interest in business advice in the Pacific region.
“We designed the BLP Portal to promote the high-quality business services available in Pacific Island countries, and to make the process of accessing expert business advice as streamlined as possible for growing Pacific businesses and the network of regional business advisors,” says Steve Knapp, Director of Business Link Pacific.
The multi-country launch event was a joint effort of Business Link Pacific and its in-country partners; Samoa Chamber of Commerce, the Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce and the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation.
Each launch event was officially opened by the respective New Zealand High Commissioner; in Vanuatu, His Excellency, Mr Jonathan Schwass; in Fiji, His Excellency Mr Jonathan Curr; in Samoa, His Excellency Dr Trevor Matheson and in Papua New Guinea, His Excellency Mr Phillip Taula.
12 expert speakers from New Zealand, Australia and each hosting country attended the launch to talk about the challenges and opportunities for business development in the region, including connectivity, resilience, inclusion, technology, business compliance and the future of business in the Pacific Islands.
For small and medium-sized businesses, the Portal offers a free ‘Business Health Check’ that identifies business gaps and connects them to a wide range of service providers that are quality approved by BLP – services that can be accessed at a subsidised rate.
For business advisors, the Portal offers a marketing tool to engage and provide financial benefits to eligible clients, as well as organisational and business development support from regional consultants.
Since the BLP initiative was established by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 2017, the BLP Network has assisted over 164 businesses in Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea. The over-50 business advisor members of the BLP network have facilitated transformations, increased growth and improved business operations, assisting growing businesses with the advice they require to thrive.
The Business Link Pacific Portal can be accessed via http://www.businesslinkpacific.com
