In her opening speech, USAID Acting Mission Director Cheryl Williams stressed that free and independent media are a key to democracy; the new printing press, she said, will help to ensure that local media outlets can print their newspapers at an affordable price. IPPTL will be a ‘for profit’ operation, and Williams emphasised that there must be a “sound business approach to ensure commercial success.”

IPPTL is a project being implemented by ICFJ and is funded by USAID and UNESCO. IPPTL is made up of three partners: The Dili Weekly, the Timor Post and Kla’ak. Timor Post and The Dili Weekly are already using the press to print their newspapers. Kla’ak plans to start using the printing press in early October. The three-partner IPPTL consortium will also accept print orders from other newspapers as well as from other commercial and private customers.