Papua New Guinea
This week, the Women Alumni Mentoring Program, a key initiative under Australia Awards PNG in collaboration with the PNG Australia Alumni Association, celebrated its profound impact on women’s professional development across Papua New Guinea.
Launched in 2020, this transformative program has supported more than 173 women, including 25 in 2025-26, empowering them with the skills, confidence, and networks to drive change in their communities and workplaces.
The program has connected mentors and mentees from diverse sectors—including the public and private sectors, as well as civil society—to foster a culture of leadership, collaboration, and empowerment. The Women Alumni Mentoring Program has become more than just a mentoring initiative; it is a movement that connects women across provinces and professions, enabling them to exchange ideas, build essential skills, and uplift one another.
Participants of the program have shared inspiring success stories, including Martha Raka, a 2023 Australia Awards Entrepreneurship Awardee. Over the course of three years in the program, Martha grew her entrepreneurial business, which focuses on building value chains with rural women farmers. With the support of her mentor, Dorothy Kukum, Martha gained the confidence and skills needed to secure funding grants for her venture, illustrating the powerful impact of the mentoring model.
The Women Alumni Mentoring Program emphasises the importance of mutual learning between mentors and mentees, highlighting how such relationships contribute to measurable benefits in leadership and career development. By providing a supportive space for open conversations about career goals, the program is accelerating the development of female leaders who, in turn, support and mentor the next generation.
The PNG-Australia Partnership is committed to supporting gender equality and fostering greater women’s participation at all levels. The Women Alumni Mentoring Program, and similar initiatives, is creating a robust network of women leaders who are shaping the future of PNG.