10 Smart Ways Papua New Guineans Are Making Money From Nothing – You Can Too!
In a country rich with natural resources, strong community ties, and cultural ingenuity, Papua New Guineans have endless opportunities to create income from the ground up. Whether you live in a rural village, settlement, or busy town, making money doesn’t always require a big startup or formal education—just determination, creativity, and the courage to start small. From backyard gardens to mobile phone top-ups and social media selling, here are 10 motivational and practical ways any Papua New Guinean can start earning money from scratch and build towards a brighter financial future.
1. Backyard Farming Business
Many Papua New Guineans have access to land, even in small village plots or urban backyards. By planting food crops like kaukau, taro, banana, aibika, corn, or tomatoes, you can produce your own food and sell the surplus at local markets. You don’t need big capital—just seeds, soil, and time. For example, a mother in Chimbu might grow sweet potatoes and carry them to the Kundiawa market every Saturday, earning K150 to K200 per week during harvest season.
✅ Tip: Start with fast-growing vegetables like beans or cabbage. Use recycled containers or raised beds if space is limited.
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| 10 Smart Ways Papua New Guineans Are Making Money From Nothing – You Can Too! [File Photo] |
2. Sell Cooked Food or Snacks
Food sells fast in PNG, especially in busy places like bus stops, markets, or schools. If you can cook, you can earn. Popular snacks like scones, kaukau fries, fried fish, lamb flaps, rice balls, or cold drinks attract regular customers. For example, a woman in Lae makes fried doughnuts every morning and sells them to school kids before class, making up to K50 a day.
✅ Tip: Use simple ingredients you already have and start small with family and neighbours before expanding.
3. Mobile Phone Top-Up (Reseller)
With most people needing phone credit daily, being a mobile top-up agent is a good income source. You can register with services like Digicel CellMoni, Vodafone, or Telikom to sell credit and earn commissions on every sale. For instance, a youth in Goroka with a basic mobile phone started selling top-ups and now earns around K100 weekly in profit by also offering phone charging services with a solar panel.
✅ Tip: Combine this with selling small items like phone cables or sim cards.
4. Craft and Sell Handmade Items
PNG is rich in culture, and handmade products like bilums, baskets, carvings, jewellery, and clay pots are in demand. These items are sold at cultural shows, tourist spots, and online. For example, a young woman in Wabag makes bilums with her mother and sells them for K80–K150 each at events or through Facebook. If you’re artistic or crafty, your traditional skills can bring you income.
✅ Tip: Add modern designs or team up with family to increase production.
5. Sell Second-Hand Clothes (Stoa or Bale)
Buying and reselling second-hand clothes (bales) is one of the fastest ways to make money. You can buy a bale with friends (group contribution), sort it, and sell each item for a profit. For example, in Port Moresby, a man bought a small bale for K600, sorted the clothes, and sold each piece at K5–K20, doubling his money in a week.
✅ Tip: Start small—buy a mini bale or 20 pieces to test the market in your area.
6. Offer Labour or Handy Work
Manual labour is always in demand, especially in towns and rural projects. You can earn by cutting grass, digging drains, helping with house construction, or carrying goods. In Mt. Hagen, a group of young men started offering lawn cutting services using bush knives and earned K200 per yard. If you don’t have formal education, your strength and time can still generate income.
✅ Tip: Wear neat clothes and approach neighbours politely to offer help.
7. Run a Table Market (Stoa Table)
Many successful PNG entrepreneurs started with a simple table market outside their home, selling betelnut, cigarettes, biscuits, soft drinks, ice blocks (ice water), or matches. For example, in Kimbe, a mother started with just one cartoon of soft drinks and now runs a mini trade store after saving her profits over 6 months.
✅ Tip: Stay consistent and reinvest profits—don’t spend all daily earnings.
8. Freelance with Your Skills
If you have a skill—whether it’s sewing clothes, fixing radios, tutoring students, playing music, or using a computer—you can offer services and get paid. For example, a high school graduate in Madang tutors Grade 10 students in maths and earns K10 per hour. Another youth with a guitar earns income performing at church events or small functions.
✅ Tip: Print a simple flyer or post your skill on a local Facebook group.
9. Buy and Sell Local Goods
Buy goods in bulk and resell in smaller quantities. This works with items like rice, sugar, fuel, betelnut, or even store food. For instance, someone in Wewak buys betelnut in bulk from Sepik River areas and resells it in town markets at a markup. Another buys 10L fuel in drums and sells in small bottles to PMV drivers.
✅ Tip: Know what sells fast in your area—move goods that people need every day.
10. Use Social Media to Sell
Facebook, WhatsApp, and TikTok have become powerful selling platforms in PNG. You can post pictures of your bilums, food plates, second-hand clothes, artwork, or shoes and offer delivery or meet-up options. A young woman in Kokopo sells meri blouses online using just her phone, taking orders and sewing on request.
✅ Tip: Take clear photos and respond quickly to messages—build trust and word-of-mouth.
Final Word:
“You don’t need a million kina to start—you need commitment and a single idea. Even a bush knife, bilum needle, or smartphone can open the door to financial freedom in PNG.”
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