A financial literacy training course designed by the Papua New Guinea Centre for Judicial Excellence will now be delivered to District and National Court staff right across the 22 provinces of PNG within the next 12 months.

The Financial Literacy Training designed by PNGCJE Finance Manager Mr. Gitu Lago will be brought out to the National Judicial Staff Services (NJSS) and Magisterial Services (MS) employees all over the country.

The training was first held for the court staff at the Waigani National and Supreme Courts last year and was well received with positive feedback on its realistic and practical approach to real life challenges. The training was conducted several times in Waigani and it is now time to expand it to the provinces with the first being held in Wabag, Enga Province on August 16 – 17.

“Learn to spend within your limits, save and invest,” says Mr. Lago during the training in Wabag.

“Efficient management of finance has been a challenging aspect of life that most Papua New Guineans, especially the working-class population find themselves in”, he said.

“But you can find your way out of whatever financial situation you’re in and start enjoying financial freedom, and the tools I am now giving you will help you out.

“This training is not based entirely on books, but on experience.

“I combined both my knowledge as an expert in financial management and my experience as a business owner and designed this training program so that you learn the important skills and techniques of financial management and entrepreneurship from first-hand experience,” said Mr. Lago.

Being an accountant and an entrepreneur with a wealth of knowledge and experience in financial management, Mr. Lago shared his knowledge through the trainings to help others make wise decisions and develop financial stability.

The two-day program saw a total of 37 participants with 20 attending the first day and 17 the second.

Mr. Lago covered various vital topics on financial management, including understanding different types of loans and how it affects people; budgeting resources such as fortnightly income; exploring the six words of financial intelligence; and using debt to generate income without financial stress. Mr. Lago also explained how to use salaries to invest in shares and bonds to create supplementary income so they do not depend on pay checks only.

A Judge’s Associate in Enga Mr. Gideon Goli, who was a participant, commended the PNGCJE for running the training to improve staff welfare. He said the training was profound, yet simple and easy to understand and provided important guidelines for a better life and financial freedom.

PNGCJE Finance Manager Mr. Gitu Lago (far-left) and PNGCJE Program Officer Mr. Peter Michael (far-right), with the NJSS and MS staff in Enga, who attended the training and received their certificates.