The Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) and Lloyds Metals and Energy Limited (LMEL) have officially opened the Lloyds Apparel Training Centre in Arawa, marking a new step towards expanding economic opportunities and skills development in Bougainville.

ABG President, His Excellency Ishmael Toroama, and LMEL Managing Director Balasubramanian Prabhakaran officially opened the facility this week in the presence of Central Bougainville parliamentarians, LMEL staff, community leaders, trainees and members of the public.

The center is a joint initiative between the ABG and LMEL and will initially train 150 women and girls from across Bougainville in apparel manufacturing.

President Toroama described the initiative as a tangible result of the peace process and a vital step toward the region's target of self-government by September 1st, 2027. 

"We must be mature, we must train our women, we must train our youth so that when the declaration by the President is being made for next year, you can see that empowerment," President Toroama announced.

He also acknowledged LMEL’s investment in Bougainville and its efforts to support opportunities beyond the mineral sector. He emphasized that such initiatives are critical for raising the internal revenue necessary for a sovereign nation. 

"I told [LMEL] if you believe in the terms that Bougainville stood firm and fought to become an independent sovereign nation, then I will take you on board," Toroama recalled his first meeting with Prabhakaran.

The President said partnerships such as the apparel initiative would be important in building Bougainville’s economic base and internal revenue as it prepares for self-government and its independence aspirations. He said the partnership was based on a shared interest in ensuring that economic opportunities benefit the people of Bougainville.

"The government will not be greedy" and "Lloyds Metal will not be greedy," President Toroama said.

He said Bougainville’s aspirations for self-government and independence were now being supported by practical initiatives and are no longer ‘distant hopes. 

"We are not dreaming. It's no longer a dream. Your leaders have provided this opportunity for all our younger people here in Bougainville," he said. 

Mr. Prabhakaran described the opening as "a great painting of our dream into a reality" and said the centre was designed to enable Bougainvilleans to eventually own and manage the apparel businesses.

"You are not working; you own this unit. You are going to be the owner of this mission,” Prabhakaran said. 

He said the long-term plan was to establish smaller apparel manufacturing units in communities across Bougainville, allowing women to work closer to their homes and families. The initiative aims to eventually create opportunities for up to 2,000 people and produce uniforms and other garments for schools, hospitals, and the mining sector.

"We commit to see that we will make this as a global apparel manufacturing hub of the world," Prabhakaran said. 

The center will initially focus on meeting local demand and reducing the cost of garments in Bougainville, with the longer-term ambition of exporting locally produced garments to neighboring countries.

The first 150 trainees will undertake a three-month training program with trainers already in place at the facility before full-scale commercial production begins