PREPARATIONS towards the much awaited Financial Inclusion Expo next week are well underway and all the major financial institutions in the country have now confirmed their participation.
The Expo will be the first ever to be held in the country and will be covered over a two day period on the 20th and 21st June 2014 at the National Art Gallery, Honiara.
A number of events will take place including financial literacy workshops, product awareness campaigns, quizzes and oratory contests for school children, public quiz, and live speech on important topics covering financial services, consumer protection and other related topics by eminent persons.
All the commercial banks, insurance companies, National Provident Fund, microfinance companies, savings clubs, Solomon Post, Ministry of Women, Our Telekom, BeMobile and other institutions will be putting up their stalls and interacting with the public.
Financial Inclusion is all about providing access to a range of appropriate and affordable financial services to all the people in the Solomon Islands and particularly focused on the low income and marginalized segments.
However financial literacy is an important element in financial inclusion as it will help people in taking the correct decisions regarding their personal finances.
This expo aims to create better financial awareness, give public information regarding the various financial products and services available in the market and assist them in understanding the features and benefits.
Besides the three banks, ANZ, BSP and Westpac, the National Provident Fund and Our Telekom are the Gold Sponsors, while SPBD Microfinance Company and Sol Post are the bronze level sponsors of the event.
The Financial Inclusion Expo is being jointly organized by the Central Bank of Solomon Islands and the Pacific Financial Inclusion Programme (PFIP).
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).
PFIP receives funding from the United Nations, Australian Government and the European Union.
The Programme operates from the UNDP Pacific Centre in Suva, Fiji and has offices in Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.
