The Female Journalists Association of Liberia (FeJAL), in partnership with PERT Consultancy Inc., and with funding from the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL), has concluded a three-day series of activities around the Financial Education and Literacy program in Sinje Town, Grand Cape Mount County. As part of the activities, a Training of Trainers (TOT) workshop was conducted for 19 community members, followed by a day-long National Stakeholders’ Consultation and the official launch of the financial education and literacy program on September 24, 2025, in Sinje Town, Garwula District.
The initiative aims to strengthen financial inclusion by equipping individuals and communities with the knowledge and skills needed to make informed financial decisions. The second-to-last phase of the awareness campaign in Grand Cape Mount County brought together key representatives from youth networks, the motorcycle union, women's organizations, marketing associations (WOMA), rural savings groups (VSLA), the Marketing Association, persons with disabilities, transport unions, and the local media. The TOT seeks to prepare participants to return to their respective communities and lead peer-to-peer financial education outreach that will enable community members to manage and save money properly for future development.
Some of the major topics and key areas within the campaign of the Financial Education and Literacy program included saving, budgeting, consumer protection, investment, insurance, borrowing, managing debt, and creating accounts, among others. Prior to the three-day activity, the office of Liberia’s Arts and Culture Ambassador team was seen in various communities in the county, raising awareness through public engagements, floats, cultural performances, and football and kickball games across the county. This financial literacy campaign aligns with the National Financial Education Strategy for Liberia and addresses key findings from the 2013 Financial Inclusion Survey.
In remarks, the Deputy Head for Corporate Communications at the Central Bank of Liberia, Nathaniel Toe, highlighted the importance of community members being well-informed on how they can plan, budget, and manage their finances for the betterment of their children's future and the country. At the same time, the Head of the Disabled Community in Sinje, Madam Bendu Kamara, in a joyous mood, lauded FeJAL and CBL for including people with disabilities in the county to form part of such an educative program that brightens their minds on how to manage their finances, be it at home or as business owners. "What physically fit people can do, we as disabled can do the same.
Our disability is not an inability. We will work with our community to ensure that the message and awareness will spread across the county, mostly to people with disabilities, to improve their lives," Bendu said. The youth Chair of Sinje Town, Sekou Sheriff, who was also selected as one of the mobilizers, encouraged all the youth of the county to join the campaign in educating their community to understand how to manage the income and benefits it offers at the end of the day. Mr. Sekou said he was excited about the new knowledge on financial education and promised to promote awareness for community members to plan and budget before carrying out their own expenditures and to save for the future. Launching the program, the Superintendent of Grand Cape Mount County, Folley Kiatamba, expressed gratitude to the Central Bank of Liberia, the Female Journalists Association of Liberia, and other county officials for attending both the training and the launch, stating that the financial education is the first of its kind in the county.
Superintendent Kiatamba appealed to the Government of Liberia through the Central Bank of Liberia to establish at least one bank in the county, where citizens will have the opportunity to save their money instead of putting it under their mattresses or to a Susu man. According to him, since his appointment by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, he has made several efforts for the establishment of a local bank but to no avail. "Now the Central Bank of Liberia is here with this campaign. I think this is our opportunity for them to assist us in fulfilling this worthy cause of development," he said. This initiative is an incredible step forward in empowering women journalists in Liberia! With technical support from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Technical Assistance, the Female Journalists Association of Liberia (FeJAL) is paving the way for more inclusive media development in Liberia.
