The Central Bank of Solomon Islands (CBSI) and the United Nations Pacific Financial Inclusion Program (PFIP) have sent four local business and bank officials to attend a high level agents training in the Philippines this week.
A statement from the central Bank said, Julie Gegeu Haro and Elizabeth Sodu from the Premier Group of Companies (third party agency managers for ANZ go Money), Alphonse Taoti, Branchless Banking Manager of BSP and Joyce Nukumuna, Team Leader of Everywhere Banking from Westpac Bank are now attending a one week high level Core Agents Network Management training course at the Helix Institute of Digital Finance in Manila city.
“The United Nations Pacific Financial Inclusion Program partnering with CBSI has been in the forefront of several financial inclusion activities in the Solomon Islands and the Pacific region, and as a result of its catalysing role in supporting the roll out of innovative financial products and services, together they are now also providing training opportunities for service providers.
“With the mobile and branchless banking now spreading all across the country, the view to improve on the bank agent’s network management and increasing their capacity of all local bank officials has been greatly considered.
“This is to better manage all agents in order to provide greater and efficient service to the people. PFIP has therefore provided full scholarship support to the four officers to attend this training as a way forward for Solomon Islands in this area,” the statement said.
The four officers were given a pre-departure briefing by Krishnan Narasimhan, Financial Inclusion Specialist, PFIP based in Honiara last week.
The attendees will return with greater knowledge to share and help improve bank agency networking and management.
PFIP is a Pacific-wide programme helping low-income households gain access to quality and affordable financial services and financial education.
It is jointly managed by the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and receives funding from the Australian Government, the European Union and the New Zealand Government.
PFIP operates from the UNDP Pacific Centre in Suva, Fiji and has offices in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. It will open an office in Samoa in early 2015.
