Barry Whiteside, governor at the Reserve Bank of Fiji, an AFI network member, delivered the opening remarks at the National Financial Competency Development Workshop on 5 September in Suva, Fiji. The workshop marked another important milestone toward building financial literacy and financial inclusion in Fiji.

According to Whiteside, the Reserve Bank of Fiji has taken a more proactive and broader role in the promotion and development of financial inclusion throughout the nation during the previous few years.

“We certainly have not done this alone. In fact, the key factor contributing towards the progress we have achieved so far has been the innovation and the effective collaboration by all the stakeholders,” said Whiteside. “Fiji’s efforts and achievements in the area of financial inclusion have not gone unnoticed. Our experiences over the last three years have been shared at global forums as a model of success, where significant work has been achieved in such a short time and despite the fact that we are one of the smaller developing economies.”

Additionally, Whiteside will offer further progress updates at the 2012 Global Policy Forum in Cape Town, South Africa on 26-28 September 2012.