FINANCIAL INCLUSION TASKFORCE AWARDED FOR EMPOWERING WOMEN

CBSI Financial Inclusion Task-force members with Australian High Commissioner Andrew Byrne and the award. Photo credit: Rosalie Nongebatu.

CBSI Financial Inclusion Taskforce members with Australian High Commissioner Andrew Byrne and the award. Photo credit: Rosalie Nongebatu.

The National Financial Inclusion Taskforce has won this year’s Australian High Commission’s International Women’s Day Award.

The Award recognises inspirational and pioneering women, men and groups who’s achievements have contributed to the empowerment of women in Solomon Islands.

Announcing the Award this morning, the Australian High Commissioner Andrew Byrne said this year, the Award honors a group of men and women who made a significant contribution to the economic empowerment of women in the country.

“This year we’ve chosen to honour a group of men and women who have made a significant contribution to the economic empowerment of women right across Solomon Islands, by increasing the participation of women in the financial sector. They have harnessed public, private and community sectors and donors to promote the rollout of mobile and branchless banking services right across the country. They have achieved their ambitious target of reaching 70,000 new bank customers two years ahead of schedule and 30,000 of those new banking customers are women.”

The Australian High Commission’s International Women’s Day Award was presented to the Financial Inclusion Taskforce at this morning’s International Women’s Day Breakfast in Honiara.

The Women’s Network of the Correctional Services of Solomon Islands received the Award last year.

Meanwhile, the Governor of Central Bank, Denton Rarawa says the National Financial Inclusion Taskforce has doubled the number of its numerical target of 70,000 new bank accounts.

Mr Rarawa made the statement after receiving the 2015 Australian High Commissioners International Women’s Day Award at the International Women’s Day Breakfast in Honiara this morning.

The Central Bank Governor said the Taskforce had a target of adding 70,000 new accounts – of which 30,000 must be for women.

Mr Rarawa said their records show that at the end of last year, the Taskforce has doubled the number of bank accounts to 135,000 and a half of those accounts are held by women.

“We set ourselves the target of bringing 70,000 new bank accounts by the end of this year. By the end of last year, we have already opened a 135,000 bank accounts which half of them are held by women, so I think it’s a huge recognition of what we are doing. As I said before if you want to raise your family in terms of financial competency, the most effective way to do this is to empower the women, the mother or the daughters in the family, so this is also one of our objectives to empower women.”

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