FREE financial literacy training was recently delivered to 54 participants from villages in the Tikina o Sawau in Beqa by a consortium of organisations including Westpac Fiji in partnership with the Women Entrepreneurs Business Council (WEBC).
WEBC is one of the nine councils under the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation and for Westpac Fiji, the initiative reaffirmed its longstanding commitment to empowering Fijian women through financial education.
“The training forms part of the ‘Beqa Bridging the Gap Program’, an initiative designed to upskill women in rural and maritime communities by bridging the gap between women operating in the informal sector, and those connected to the formal economy,” Westpac said in a statement.
“The program acknowledges the significant, yet often unseen, role Fijian women play in the household management, unpaid labour, caregiving and supporting family income earning activities.”
WEBC coordinator Fiona Dansey said a key strength of the initiative lay in its enduring partnership with Westpac Banking Corporation’s Community and Engagement team.
“The bank’s contribution ensures women entrepreneurs are not just starting businesses but building sustainable ones, with better money management, record-keeping, and decision-making skills,” she said.
Westpac Fiji’s Community and Engagement manager Keni Baro said the bank remains committed to empowering communities, urban, rural and maritime, through practical, accessible financial education and long-term support programs.
The participants were microentrepreneurs from Naceva, Dakuibeqa, Dakuni, Soliyaga and Naseuseu villages.
The latest workshops, according to Westpac Fiji, build on its broader commitment to supporting Fijian women through programs such as the Westpac Women and Girls Education Grants and the newly launched Female Founders Program, which provides targeted support, tools, and funding pathways for aspiring and established female entrepreneurs.
