Papua New Guinea is the latest Pacific country to launch a new online business register to help small businesses.
The Investment Promotion Authority launched the online tool on Tuesday, which has been developed with the help of the International Finance Corporation and the New Zealand aid programme.
The tool will help small businesses in remote islands register without having to travel to Port Moresby and lodge paperwork, which can take weeks or even months.
The acting Managing Director of IPA, Clarence Hoot, says there are still challenges such as accessing internet in remote areas.
"The coverage is slowly increasing with the introduction of Digicel, we are now currently on 3G, so for instance if I can give you an example, we have the Bank South Pacific using tablets and going into the rural areas to open bank accounts. By any means that could be the same technology that we could be looking at in the future."
Clarence Hoot says business owners can use internet cafes, but the IPA is also planning to send representatives regularly to help them use the online tool.
