The Centre for Excellence in Financial Inclusion (CEFI) and The Salvation Army (TSA) have formalized a new partnership through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at expanding financial literacy, financial inclusion and economic empowerment initiatives across Papua New Guinea.
The partnership will leverage The Salvation Army’s extensive network of churches, schools, community programmes and social services to deliver financial literacy training and connect underserved communities with formal financial services.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, CEFI Acting Executive Director Peter Samuel described the agreement as a significant milestone in strengthening financial inclusion through faith-based organizations.
“Seeing the history of how The Salvation Army was established in 1956 and the work that you have done in empowering communities right across the country is beyond measure,” Mr Samuel said.
“For us, this MoU is an opportunity to not only impact lives but to create lasting change through the community programmes that you already deliver.”
Mr Samuel highlighted the strong link between financial wellbeing and social development, noting that many social and family challenges stem from poor financial decision-making.
“We feel that having conversations about social issues and gender issues often leads back to financial issues. Financial literacy is not just about training people how to save money; it is about changing mindsets and helping people build a healthier relationship with money,” he said.
He added that CEFI is working closely with the Department of Education to integrate financial literacy into the national curriculum from Preparatory to Grade 12, ensuring young Papua New Guineans develop lifelong financial management skills.
“We are committed to empowering communities and look forward to working with The Salvation Army. Together, we can equip teachers, church members and community leaders with the knowledge and skills needed to improve financial wellbeing across the country,” Mr Samuel said.
Representing The Salvation Army, Major Michelle Oliver reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to the partnership and outlined preparations already underway to support the programme.
She announced that 30 participants have been identified to attend the upcoming Training of Trainers programme scheduled for the last week of June, with women making up more than half of the participants.
“We’ve got 30 people who will be in attendance, 17 of those are women, so we have certainly exceeded the 50 per cent target,” Major Oliver said.
The participants include representatives from women’s refuges, restorative justice programmes, literacy initiatives, churches and community organizations from across Papua New Guinea, as well as one participant from Solomon Islands.
Major Oliver said trained facilitators would also support financial literacy education in Salvation Army schools and communities throughout the country.
The Salvation Army Territorial Commander, Colonel Chris Goa, welcomed the partnership and thanked CEFI for its confidence in the organization.
“Thank you very much for trusting us and wanting to be partners with us,” Colonel Goa said.
“Our aim is to let our work speak for itself. We want our partners to be happy with what we are planning to do so that this relationship continues to grow.”
Under the MoU, CEFI will provide Training of Trainers programmes, mentoring and technical support, while The Salvation Army will identify and mobilize participants and facilitate community outreach activities. The partnership aims to train 30 financial literacy trainers and reach at least 1,000 beneficiaries through community-based financial literacy programmes.
The collaboration will also promote savings, responsible financial management, access to banking services, digital payments and entrepreneurship, particularly among rural households, farmers, informal sector workers and micro, small and medium enterprises.
The agreement reflects both organizations shared commitment to strengthening financial capability, promoting responsible stewardship and improving the livelihoods of vulnerable and underserved communities throughout Papua New Guinea.
Ends.
Image Captions:
Image 1: Colonel Chris Goa of the Salvation Army (second from left) and CEFI Acting Executive Director Peter Samuel (second from right) display the signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) documents following the official signing ceremony. Witnessing the occasion are CEFI Senior Trainer Sebastian Mugup (far right) and Major Michelle Oliver of the Salvation Army.
Image 2: Colonel Chris Goa of the Salvation Army (second from left) and CEFI Acting Executive Director Peter Samuel (second from right) formally sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), witnessed by CEFI Senior Trainer Sebastian Mugup (far right) and Major Michelle Oliver of the Salvation Army.
Image 3: Colonel Chris Goa of the Salvation Army (second from left) and CEFI Acting Executive Director Peter Samuel (second from right) exchange signatures during the MoU signing ceremony, with CEFI Senior Trainer Sebastian Mugup (far right) and Major Michelle Oliver observing proceedings.
Image 4: Prior to the official MoU signing, Colonel Chris Goa of the Salvation Army (far left), CEFI Acting Executive Director Peter Samuel, and Major Michelle Oliver engage in discussions ahead of the formal proceedings.
About CEFI
CEFI was established under the Association Incorporation Act and officially launched on the 24th of April 2013. CEFI was endorsed by PNG’s National Executive Council (NEC) as the industry apex organization for coordinating, advocating and moniotoring all financial inclusion activities in PNG.
CEFI’s vision, mission and values focus on financial inclusion and literacy, poverty elimination and the promotion of vibrant financial institutional operation in Papua New Guinea.
Visit our website – www.thecefi.org
Media Contact:
Mr. Leslie Omaro
Communication Officer
WhatsApp : 79736883
Email: lomaro@thecefi.org
