Media Advisory: EU-STREIT PNG Showcases Cocoa & Vanilla Innovations and Best Practices for Nationwide Growth in Papua New Guinea

Wewak, Papua New Guinea –  The EU-funded Support to Rural Entrepreneurship, Investment, and Trade in Papua New Guinea (EU-STREIT PNG) Programme is organizing a significant Learning and Innovation Event from 22 to 23 July 2025. This two-day event, to be held in Wewak LLG, East Sepik Province, at Hawaiian Nursery for cocoa demonstrations and at Mandi Village for vanilla demonstrations, will showcase transformative practices and success stories from the Programme's interventions in the cocoa and vanilla sectors. The initiative aims to share learnings, promote replication, and drive scale-up across Papua New Guinea, ensuring sustainable economic growth beyond the Sepik region.

The event will bring together officials, technical officers, development partners, and representatives from national and provincial government and administrations institutions across the country to explore practical and impactful value-chain development approaches, practices and technologies introduced, implemented, and promoted by the EU-STREIT PNG Programme firsthand. Participants will engage directly with beneficiaries & MSMEs witness live demonstrations of key processes, and gain insights into integrated practices in production, processing, marketing, financial inclusion, and empowerment.

The EU-STREIT PNG Programme’s comprehensive approach has significantly improved productivity, market access, financial inclusion, digital connectivity, and infrastructure, benefiting hundreds of thousands of rural families and communities.

This Learning and Innovation Event is part of the Programme's final phase, designed to share lessons and best practices, foster dialogue on sustainability, and strengthen partnerships for replication and scaling of successful approaches. The event will also feature interactive sessions to capture experiences and feedback, informing policy alignment and future development strategies.

The EU-STREIT PNG Programme, is the European Union's largest grant-funded initiative in the country being implemented as a United Nations Joint Programme by FAO, ILO, ITU, UNCDF and UNDP. It focuses on boosting sustainable and inclusive economic development in rural areas. This is achieved by FAO’s support in enhancing economic returns and opportunities within cocoa, vanilla, and fisheries value chains. Additionally, the Programme strengthens and improves the efficiency of value chain enablers, including access to Information & Communication Technology (ICT) by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and digital financial services by UNCDF. ILO also supports the development of sustainable, climate-resilient roads and other transport infrastructures while UNDP provides renewable energy solutions. The Programme directly benefits two provinces: East Sepik and West Sepik. 

Media representatives are invited to attend the event, engage with key stakeholders and beneficiaries, and cover the transformative outcomes and stories emerging from the EU-STREIT PNG Programme’s efforts.

Cocoa

Vanilla