The Centre for Excellence in Financial Inclusion (CEFI) successfully organised and led a Financial Literacy Training (FLT) programme at Tubuseria Village, Central Province, graduating 117 participants, including 72 women, as part of activities associated with the 2026 MSG Central Bank Wan Solwara Exchange Programme.
The training was conducted from Monday, 7 September to Wednesday, 9 September 2026, culminating in a graduation ceremony organised and led by CEFI on Thursday, 10 September.
CEFI coordinated the day’s programme with the Tubuseria community, Bank of Papua New Guinea (BPNG), participating financial institutions and Wan Solwara delegates. The programme provided an opportunity to demonstrate CEFI’s work in delivering financial literacy and advancing financial inclusion at community level.
As part of the programme, Wan Solwara participants visited Tubuseria Primary School and Tubuseria Junior High School, where they interacted with students and conducted awareness sessions. CEFI staff took the lead in coordinating the visits and awareness activities, providing students with financial literacy information while creating opportunities for the visiting central bank representatives to engage directly with the schools.
The Wan Solwara participants also visited and interacted with FLT participants undergoing training in Tubuseria, speaking with trainees about their experiences and the financial knowledge they had gained. These engagements enabled the visiting delegates to observe first-hand CEFI’s community-level approach to financial education and awareness.
The activities coincided with the 2026 MSG Central Bank Wan Solwara Exchange Programme, hosted by BPNG from 7–11 September under the theme, “Strogim Wantok: Shaping Our Shared Future – Strengthening our Melanesian Central Banks through Collaboration, Resilience and Progress.” Participants included representatives from BPNG, the Central Bank of Solomon Islands and Reserve Bank of Vanuatu.
Speaking at the graduation, CEFI Acting Executive Director Mr Peter Samuel acknowledged Tubuseria’s leaders and community for supporting the programme, particularly East Ward Councillor Hon. Rea Loi and West Ward Councillor Hon. Bessie Lomino.
Mr Samuel also acknowledged BPNG, financial institutions and CEFI staff for their contributions, saying: “You guys have done a tremendous job, so well done to you all.”
West Ward Councillor Bessie Lomino thanked the visiting delegation for choosing Tubuseria and described the occasion as an opportunity for communities to learn from one another.
“Please take a piece of Tubusere with you in your hearts,” she told the visitors, inviting them to return in the future.
BPNG Assistant Security Manager Mr Slim Rupusina said the community was privileged to host the programme and expressed hope that engagement with participating financial institutions would continue to empower people and strengthen a savings culture.
Women’s Micro Bank (Mama Bank) Chief Executive Officer Mr Gunanidhi Das stressed that financial literacy needed to be complemented by access to practical banking services, including savings accounts, finance, banking agents and digital banking. He encouraged participants to make saving a priority, describing savings as the “first expenditure” from their income.
The graduation programme, organised and led by CEFI, included community and institutional remarks, certificate presentations and financial products and services awareness.
Wan Solwara delegates were welcomed with traditional singing, while local SME groups displayed and sold artefacts and traditional products, showcasing Tubuseria’s culture, entrepreneurship and community livelihoods to the visiting delegates.
Ends.
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 monitoring 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
Phone: 79736883
Email: lomaro@thecefi.org
