Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea – 13th September 2026: The Solomon Islands Women in Business Association (SIWIBA) recently held a strategic meeting with the PNG Women’s Micro Bank Limited (Mama Bank) to explore opportunities for collaboration and learning in advancing women’s financial inclusion, entrepreneurship, and economic empowerment across the Pacific.
The SIWIBA delegation was led by President Mrs. Julie Gegeu Haro, Vice President Dr. Donna Marie Wate, and CEO-Acting Ms. Jessica Warahiru Rapeiasi, together with Ms. Melinda Kii, a Public Servant and Coordinator for the CMCG within the Office of the Prime Minister and National Executive Council (PMO).
The delegation met with the CEO of Mama Bank and the Project Manager of the Women’s Micro Bank, who shared valuable insights into Mama Bank’s model of providing accessible financial services, financial education, and business support specifically focused on women.
Mama Bank, formally known as Women’s Micro Bank Limited (WMBL), was established in 2010 as the PNG Women in Business Microfinance Institute Limited. It received its banking licence from the Bank of Papua New Guinea in May 2014, becoming the first women-focused licensed microbank in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific region. The institution currently serves more than 95,000 clients and has an explicit focus on empowering women through access to finance and financial literacy.
The meeting provided an important opportunity for SIWIBA to learn from Mama Bank’s experience in women’s access to finance, financial literacy, microenterprise development, savings, and inclusive banking services. Discussions also highlighted the potential for knowledge exchange and future collaboration between women’s business organisations and financial institutions in the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.
SIWIBA recognises that access to appropriate financial services and financial education is critical to enabling women entrepreneurs to establish, formalise, grow, and sustain their businesses. The engagement with Mama Bank therefore represents an important step towards identifying practical approaches that could be adapted to the Solomon Islands context.
President Julie Gegeu Haro expressed appreciation to Mama Bank for sharing its experience and reaffirmed SIWIBA’s commitment to strengthening opportunities for Solomon Islands women entrepreneurs through strategic partnerships, capacity building, and greater access to financial services.
SIWIBA looks forward to continuing discussions with Mama Bank and relevant partners to explore opportunities for regional cooperation, women’s economic empowerment, financial inclusion, and sustainable enterprise development.
