Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea – On Friday, March 7, the Centre for Excellence in Financial Inclusion (CEFI) celebrated International Women’s Day with a special milestone, the graduation of 25 participants from its Financial Literacy (FL) Training of Trainers (ToT) program. This celebration aligned with the 2025 International Women’s Day theme, “Accelerating Action,” emphasizing the need to equip more individuals, especially women with the financial literacy skills to train others.

The five (5) days FL ToT program, conducted from March 3 to March 7, was designed to train individuals not only to improve their own personal financial management skills but also to become financial literacy trainers within their respective communities and organizations.

Among the graduates, 10 were women, reinforcing CEFI’s commitment to bridging the financial literacy gap for women and marginalized groups. The participants represented various organizations, including Commerce and Industry (East Sepik), Niugini Health Link (Western Highlands), Tuhava Town Management Limited (Central Province), Rhodes PNG Limited, Ipili National Limited, Taragai Enterprise Limited, PNG Eco Solutions, and Women’s Microbank Limited, while six participants were self-sponsored.

Held at the CEFI Training Room, the graduation ceremony was a moment of celebration, marked by a cake-cutting and a photo session with CEFI staff and participants. In his keynote address, CEFI’s Acting Executive Director, Mr. Peter Samuel, highlighted the significance of empowering women as financial literacy trainers.

“Instead of having separate events, we chose to combine this graduation with International Women’s Day because empowering women in financial literacy is a key step in accelerating economic empowerment,” said Mr. Samuel. “Women play a crucial role in building strong families and communities, yet their contributions are often overlooked. Today, we celebrate their achievements and their potential as change-makers in the space of financial literacy and financial inclusion.”

He challenged the newly trained participants to apply their knowledge by training others in their communities. “Now that you have completed this training, the real work begins. How will you take what you’ve learned and implement it? How will you teach others about budgeting, saving, and responsible financial decision-making? This program is about more than just learning, it is about becoming trainers and advocates for financial inclusion.”

Representing the graduates, Sharon Woruba emphasized how fitting it was that the training concluded on International Women’s Day. “CEFI has done tremendous work in promoting financial inclusion, particularly for women. The theme, ‘Accelerating Action,’ perfectly aligns with CEFI’s mission, providing financial literacy that enables women and girls to take charge of their economic future,” she said.

Other graduates shared their personal transformation through the training as well:

• Rita Kari, from Manda village in Western Highlands Province, admitted that before the training, she lacked awareness of her financial habits. “This program made me realize the importance of financial discipline, setting savings goals, and making informed spending decisions. I now understand how to train others to do the same,” she shared.
• Ezekiel Lakain, a security officer from Enga Province, was inspired to share his new knowledge with his family. “I have learned so much about budgeting and saving, and I am eager to train my family and community on how to make better financial decisions,” he said.
• Solomon Peni, a Youth Empowerment Project Officer from Western Highlands, recognized how his own financial behaviour had changed. “This training opened my eyes to the importance of financial planning. I am now more mindful of my spending and ready to teach others how to manage their money wisely,” he stated.

The FL ToT program’s core objective is to ‘’Building a Nationwide Network of Financial Literacy Trainers ‘’ by developing a network of skilled trainers who can deliver financial literacy training in their respective organizations and communities. By focusing on savings, budgeting, and responsible personal financial management skills, the program ensures that participants do not just gain knowledge for personal use, but become advocates for financial inclusion, particularly for women, youth, and rural populations.

Through this initiative, CEFI is accelerating action toward financial empowerment for all, ensuring that more Papua New Guineans, especially women and girls, gain the financial skills needed to build resilient, sustainable livelihoods.

Ends.

For further information on the work of CEFI please contact CEFI Communications Team: +675 3225300, email: lomaro@thecefi.org  or visit www.thecefi.org

Image Captions:

Image 1.   CEFI’s Acting Executive Director Mr. Peter Samuel speaking to the participants during the mini graduation.

Image 2. CEFI’s Acting Executive Director Mr. Peter Samuel presenting female participant Lina Wingawi, her certificate at the graduation ceremony.

Image 3. CEFI’s Acting Executive Director Mr. Peter Samuel is joined by female participants in cutting the IWD cake.

Image 4: CEFI’s Finance and Admin Manager, Mr. Andon Sevua (left) presenting twenty-four old Ezekiel Lakain his certificate at the graduation ceremony

Image 5: NFIS Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement Manager Mr.Danny Koka presenting Sharon Woruba her certificate at the graduation ceremony

Image 6:  CEFI Staff and management with FL ToT participants pose for a group photo following the presentation of certificates

Image 7: CEFI and BPNG staff were involved in mini IWD activities. Pictured here staff enjoying morning tea as part of the IWD celebration activities.