The Acting Prime Minister, Hon. John Rosso, MP today welcomed over 80 Governors of Central Banks at the 2026 Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) Global Policy Forum in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
In welcoming the Central Bank Governors and participants, Mr. Rosso said Papua New Guinea is the most culturally and linguistically diverse nation on earth. In that diversity, Papua New Guinea also found its unity.
He explained to the forum that in every 5-kilometer in this country; a person will need to speak a different language.
“In one room, you may have 800 people — from Australia, Venezuela, Eastern Europe, Russia — all thinking differently, speaking different tongues, and yet working together to build one nation. That is Papua New Guinea.
“It is not easy to manage. We have what we call the ‘Melanesian way’ — we sit under the coconut tree or mango tree, we talk, we argue, we come back the next week and talk again. But we always resolve our differences. We do not rush to fight. We resolve.
“We are also one of the most biodiverse nations on earth, home to one of the largest remaining tracts of natural rainforest. Yet our diversity presents real challenges. Fifty percent of our people live in the Highlands. Ten percent, despite being a Pacific Island nation, have never seen the ocean. People on our remote atolls have never seen the Highlands. That is how vast and complex we are.”
However, Mr. Rosso said that out of those challenges come great blessings. PNG is richly endowed with oil, gas, and minerals. It is one of the most resource-blessed nations on earth.
It is, therefore, fitting that Port Moresby hosts this esteemed Global Policy Forum on financial inclusion, Mr. Rosso said.
“What better place to discuss how to open a bank account, empower women, and ensure financial access in a country as diverse as ours.”
Progress for Women and Inclusion
The Acting Prime Minister said the PNG Government has made strides. For the first time since Independence, PNG now has a female governor of the Bank of Papua New Guinea — Governor Elizabeth Genia.
“Her appointment was based on merit and qualification, but it also sent a clear message to the world: women are central to every decision we make in this country.”
He said that in 1975, his mother could not drive a car. Today, 50 years later, women are flying planes, captaining ships, and leading institutions. Women are at the forefront. Papua New Guinea has evolved.
The Challenges of Financial Inclusion
The subject of this Forum ‘Future Readiness for Inclusive Prosperity: Foresight, Risk and Opportunity’ — is timely, Mr. Rosso stressed.
“Governments cannot predict the next 10 years. Technology changes. Markets change. We face El Nino, natural disasters, and global conflict. Future readiness means preparing our people, institutions, and economies to deal with whatever comes.”
Mr. Rosso said that for a developing nation like PNG, it also means ensuring its people can participate in the opportunities that change creates, adding that financial inclusion is no longer just a banking issue; it is a nation-building issue.
“It determines whether households survive, whether businesses grow, and whether our economy develops.
“Thirty years ago, people were paid with passbooks and stood in lines to withdraw cash. Today, many of us transfer money from our phones. But the question is: what about the villager in a remote mountainside community with no road, no power, no telecommunications?”
The Acting Prime Minister said that two years ago in his mother’s village, he met people who told him they have K50,000.00 in cash; however, they could not open a bank account because they have no form of identification. That is the reality that the government must fix.
“While we embrace technology, we must also find practical solutions that work for PNG. We must work with banks to make it easier for the ordinary person in the village to open an account, access credit, and do business — while still meeting Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulatory requirements.
“The test is simple: Are our people participating in the economy? Can they move from informal market activity into businesses that employ others and pay tax? That is development.”
Connectivity and Digital Transformation
A great digital product means nothing without roads, power, telecommunications, and identification, Mr. Rosso said.
“That is why the government is investing in ‘Connect PNG’, telecommunications, and digital infrastructure. Nearly 80% of our people live in rural areas. Connectivity is central to reducing costs and extending services.
“We are also building digital government services, digital identification, and moving government payments to electronic systems. In Immigration and Lands sectors, we are using AI and e-governance to improve service delivery,” he said.
Mr. Rosso stressed that if a citizen who once traveled for hours can now securely access government or banking services from their community, that is progress.
Integrity and Climate Resilience
Inclusion without integrity will not last, he said, adding that earlier this year, following the international Anti-Money Laundering (AML) assessment, the government accepted the findings and committed to fixing the weaknesses.
“Being financially inclusive does not mean lowering standards. We want more people in the formal economy, and we want that economy to be secure, transparent, and respected internationally.”
For Pacific nations, future readiness must also mean climate resilience. Floods, droughts, and landslides destroy roads, crops, and livelihoods overnight. Climate adaptation is, therefore, an economic issue — and finance has a critical role to play, Mr. Rosso said.
In conclusion, the Acting Prime Minister said, “The next decade will bring risks we cannot foresee — including AI and the changing nature of work. But it will also bring opportunities we cannot yet imagine.”
“Our responsibility is not to resist change but to adapt and ensure our people can participate. A young Papua New Guinean with a business idea must have a genuine pathway to turn it into an enterprise. Women who drive the informal economy must have the opportunity to build assets and businesses. That is future readiness, and that is how financial inclusion delivers inclusive prosperity,” he said.
Mr. Rosso thanked Governor Genia, the Bank of PNG, and the Alliance for Financial Inclusion for bringing the forum to Port Moresby — 10 years after it was last held in Fiji.