Wia Trade Enterprise Wins the 2025 Ela Motors PNG SME Awards
November 13, 2025
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The Honorable Mr. Peter Tsiamalili Jr., Minister for Police and
2025 Overall Winner Mr. and Mrs. Waramboi, owners of Wia
Trade Enterprise, with Ela Motors CEO Mr. Masaru Mikami.
Port Moresby, November 13, 2025 – Wia Trade Enterprise has taken home the top honor at the 6th Annual Ela Motors PNG SME Awards, a prestigious event celebrating the resilience and innovation of PNG’s small and medium enterprises. The awards ceremony, hosted by PNG SME Magazine, marked a proud milestone as the nation commemorates 50 years of Independence.
The 2025 overall winner, Mr. and Mrs. Waramboi, owners of Wia Trade Enterprise, have built a premium coffee brand distributed nationwide and exported internationally. As part of their recognition, they proudly received a brand-new Hino 200 Series Truck sponsored by Ela Motors, a prize that will help them scale operations and expand their reach.
Ela Motors CEO Masaru Mikami reaffirmed the company’s commitment to supporting SMEs:
Every finalist represents the entrepreneurial spirit of Papua New Guinea—resourceful, resilient, and committed to progress. Moving forward together with trusted partners brings great strength and encouragement, and we remain dedicated to supporting SMEs in every way we can.
Launched during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ela Motors PNG SME Awards were created to inspire hope and recognize entrepreneurs who overcame unprecedented challenges in 2020.
What began as a platform with 10 MSME categories has evolved into a robust program featuring 35 awards, including:
This year’s awards highlighted the strength of rural enterprises, with agriculture emerging as a dominant force. Six of the Top 10 SMEs hailed from Madang, Morobe, East Sepik, Eastern Highlands, and East New Britain—underscoring the growing role of cooperatives and sustainable practices in driving economic growth.
In 2022, the Awards organizers were challenged by the Government to bring more entries from rural communities — from wards, LLGs, districts, and provinces. Ela Motors responded with annual support worth K300,000, dedicating K100,000 specifically to the SME Awards outreach and awareness from January to June, and the Nominations from July to September.
By 2025, entries spanned sustainability, blue and green enterprise, coffee, cocoa, spices, fisheries, and fresh produce—affirming the Awards’ role in empowering rural SMEs and fostering inclusive economic growth.
Ela Motors, through the PNG SME Awards, remains committed to supporting the economic transformation of Papua New Guinea — standing as a corporate citizen and active collaborator in the nation’s journey of growth.
Past winners of the Major Prize include:
2020 – MKR Foods (Port Moresby, NCD), awarded a Yamaha Boat
2021 – BOU Resource Cooperative Limited (Alotau, Milne Bay), awarded a Toyota Rush
2022 – E Didiman Initiative (Buka, ARoB), awarded a Hino Truck
2023 – Maku Gifts (Kokopo, East New Britain), awarded a Hino Truck
2024 – Chayil Technologies (Lae, Morobe), awarded a Hino Truck
2025 – Wia Trade (Nadzab, Morobe), awarded a Hino Truck
Through the continued support of Ela Motors and partner sponsors, more than K2 million worth of awards have been presented to MSMEs and cooperatives in recognition of their excellence and their vital contributions to employment creation and wealth generation across Papua New Guinea.
