A substantial number of locals in East New Britain have been certified in Financial Literacy this year, through Kada Poroman Microfinance Limited (KPML). KPML Marketing Manager Joe Totabu, when presenting the latest certificates recently, said around 400 locals now have Financial Literacy Training (FLT). He then presented FLT Certificates to 66 individuals from the Vunapalading and neighboring wards in the Inland Baining LLG of Gazelle District. Mr Totabu told the participants that the basic FLT skills acquired are part of the national government's financial inclusion program. “This is a policy direction from the national government to the district levels." " The district then formally invites stakeholders like us to facilitate the programs in wards and LLGs,” he said. Gazelle is the second largest districts in ENB in terms of landmass. The Gazelle area has a thriving economy since the majority of its residents are cash crop and agricultural growers. “Business activities in the Gazelle area is immense as most supply the main markets of Rabaul and Kokopo.” The four-day FLT sessions cover the fundamentals of saving and budgeting, investments, company setup, and account creation. “You can have all the resources in the world, but if you don't know how to manage them, it's a waste of time and effort.” He urged the participants to put into good use the skills that they have acquired at the training and be wise in spending their money. One of the participants of this latest FLT was Mr. Lawrence Wangu who is employed by New Britain Palm Oil Ltd as a safety officer at the neighboring Oil Palm estate, who said the training has opened possibilities for many workers who are always moving from one pay packet to the next every two weeks. “We can't keep on like this. Training has taught us to save money for the future, as well as to plan and invest." "A kina saved per week adds up to K365 at the conclusion of the financial year,” Mr. Wangu said. He commended KPML and the Gazelle District for rolling out the FLT sessions and encouraged the district to cover more communities in the Gazelle Area next year.