Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja
The federal government has expressed its determination for full implementation of financial inclusion in all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The Director, Economic Research and Policy Management (ERPM), Federal Ministry of Finance, Grace Ogbonna, stated this in Abuja while declaring open a three-day training programme for Federal Ministry of Finance Staff Batch 2, on the “Service-Wide Financial Literacy in the Workplace Programme on Financial Inclusion.”
The Director, (Press & Public Relations) in the ministry, Mr. Stephen Kilebi, quoted Ogbonna as saying that financial inclusion around the world has continued to gain attention globally because of the important role it plays in economic development and poverty alleviation.
Ogbonna noted that in pursuance of the realisation of the foregoing and the fact that a significant number of Nigeria’s public employees have poor knowledge of financial inclusion, the ministry felt the need to launch an awareness campaign that would holistically build the capacity of public sector workforce on financial literacy.
She stated: “The focus is to empower workers and equip them to be financially savy so as make decisions and exercise discipline in managing their personal finances which would encourage a national saving habit, smart investment and planned retirement for workers in the public sector.”
The ERPM Director implored participants at the workshop to take advantage of the training very seriously, stressing that the training would add value to them, families and workplaces.
While commending the Permanent Secretary Finance, Okokon Udo, for his sustained support towards the programme implementation, she lamented that most of the employees in the public sector earn to consume which is largely due to lack of financial literacy.
