Milne Bay Provincial Government Principal Advisor Mr Harry Sioni has urged financial inclusion partners to work with provincial officers so communities continue receiving support after visiting teams leave.
Speaking at a closing dinner hosted by the Provincial Government at Masurina Lodge on Thursday evening, 24 September 2026, Mr Sioni thanked CEFI and its partners for delivering the Young Mind Savings Campaign (YMSC).
He said provincial officers regularly invited financial institutions to join village visits and training.
“We are the guys that make contact with our people in the villages,” he said. “It’s good to come to us and we do it together, so after you’re gone, you can continue to assist them.”
Mr Sioni also outlined the Division of Commerce and Industry’s plans for local-level government cooperatives to help communities pool resources and access capital. “We hope that going forward we will continue this cooperation,” he said.
CEFI’s Manager for NFIS Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement, Mr Danny Koka, thanked the Provincial Government for hosting the campaign and bringing partners together. He said delivering YMSC through provincial government systems was an important step towards sustained financial inclusion.
The campaign visited Watuno Primary School and Divinai Primary School on Tuesday, 22 September; Lelehudi Primary School and Walalaia Primary School on Wednesday, 23 September; and East Cape Primary School on Thursday, 24 September.
“On your request, we have delivered this young mindsaving campaign to five schools,” Mr Koka said. He stressed that lessons on saving, budgeting and investment could help students become future business owners and contribute to employment and economic growth.
“We are not doing activities that is going to be short-term, but in the long run, we are contributing,” he said.
The dinner brought together CEFI, the Securities Commission of Papua New Guinea, the Department of Treasury and participating financial institutions: MiBank, Women’s Micro Bank, BSP Bank, BSP Life Insurance, Nasfund and NCSL.
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.
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