Port Moresby: In Papua New Guinea, 44 out of every 100 women diagnosed with breast cancer succumb to the disease, according to Pacific International Hospital (PIH) Consultant Oncologist Dr. Michael Shawel Lemma.

Dr. Lemma shared the statistics during a breast cancer awareness session at Nasfund’s headquarters, held as part of the fund’s support for Pinktober. He said outcomes depend heavily on early detection and completing the recommended treatment.

He said breast cancer accounts for more than 20% of cancer cases treated at PIH, underscoring the need for greater awareness of its signs and symptoms and the importance of early detection.

“When breast cancer is diagnosed while it is confined to the breast, the five-year survival rate is 99%. If it has spread to the lymph nodes, the rate is 87%,” Dr Lemma said.

Dr Lemma said many women in PNG seek medical attention only after developing large lumps or open wounds, when treatment is more difficult and the likelihood of a cure is lower.

Other barriers include limited access to radiotherapy and diagnostic services, as well as distance, cost, fear, and cultural beliefs.

Nasfund staff and management attended the session at the Port Moresby headquarters, while teams from centers outside Port Moresby joined online.

This year’s Pinktober theme is “Every story is unique, every journey matters”.

Nasfund General Manager Talent and Culture Alex Rogea, speaking on behalf of Chief Executive Officer Rajeev Sharma, thanked the PIH team and acknowledged the participation of both female and male employees.

“Breast cancer can affect men as well as women, so everyone should be aware of the signs and symptoms,” Mr. Rogea said.

Mr. Rogea said Nasfund is partnering with PIH to deliver its Employee Assistance Program and is exploring options to include cancer screening and treatment in staff insurance coverage.

Dr. Lemma encouraged staff to share the core message that early detection improves breast cancer outcomes. He recommended regular breast self-examinations, clinical breast examinations, and appropriate imaging, including mammograms otherwise it is important to note that early diagnosis improves a five-year survival outcome.

Nasfund staff with the Pacific International Hospital team during the Pinktober breast cancer awareness session in Port Moresby.

Nasfund staff following a Pinktober breast cancer awareness session delivered by Pacific International Hospital.

PORT MORESBY — As part of the National Superannuation Funds ongoing rollout of member education across resource sector employers, our team recently extended its outreach schedule to visit the Hidden Valley Gold Mine site in Morobe Province last weekend to conduct member information sessions and deliver direct member services to employees.

Nasfund Chief Executive Officer, Rajeev Sharma noted that this engagement builds directly upon regular site visits conducted throughout the year forming part of the fund's ongoing presence in the Papua New Guinea chamber of resources and energy sector.

“These services include on-site educational sessions focused on our drive to enhance member services.” Sharma said.

During this latest employer visitation, the Nasfund team conducted tailored sessions for day and night shift employees, engaging over 500 workers and contractors of Morobe Consolidated Goldfields Limited (MCGL).

MCGL is a subsidiary of Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited, operating the Hidden Valley gold-silver mine with an extensive workforce and contractor network.

Nasfund Member Engagement Partner Ronnie Tsika, the lead on this reiterated that rather than a standalone event, this was the fund's second engagement with MCGL in the last three years, highlighting it as part of a consistent, sustained strategy of bringing Nasfund services directly to members' doorsteps.

Tsika explained that based on feedback received during past interactions, many employees and contractors face operational time constraints preventing them from visiting physical nasfund branches. Consequently, these regularly scheduled on-site engagements provide vital answers and resolutions to their queries.

“Our engagement commenced on Friday with ongoing member information sessions and continued into Saturday, while comprehensive member services were conducted from Saturday night through Sunday night,” Tsika added.

The comprehensive client services delivered on-site included:

• ID processing (Over 260 ID cards printed on-site)
• Vetting and merging application forms
• Member online registration
• WhatsApp and TextBal registration
• Retirement Readiness Program education
• Updating of member biodata

Pre-screening of Housing Advance application forms

Photo Caption 1: From left seated: Wency Tovirika, Nasfund Lae Customer Service Officer with nasfund Momase Regional Team Leader and Lae Branch Officer in Charge Aries Materson attending to employees of Morobe Consolidated Goldfields Limited in Morobe Province.

Photo Caption 2: Nasfund Officers with employees and contractors of Morobe Consolidated Goldfields Limited in Morobe Province.

Central Province: In our society, service delivery can be very difficult to reach some of the most remote parts of the country. With Nasfund's Member Service Booths, we can reach some members and this week we attended to more than 100 members of the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Pastors Central Papua Conference at Mt Diamond in Central.

Nasfund team attending to participants of the SDA Pastors Central Papua Conference at Mt Diamond in Central last week.

Speaking on behalf of the members, Tubuseria Village, SDA Church Pastor Jacob Mavo said having the Nasfund Service Booth team stationed at the conference venue was a very "good idea".

"From this engagement, pastors have now realized that we do not utilize well some of the services you provide, especially the voluntary contributions platform, " Mavo said.

"Our church has been really great especially in building our retirement savings and we are very blessed."

Mavo said other products like the housing advance product should also be utilized because pastors housing has been a very big issue within the church.

He thanked Nasfund for bringing their essential services like helping members to log in to their online platforms, issuance of Eda Supa forms, providing member detail update forms and attending to general enquiries.

9-mile Ridge in Port Moresby SDA church pastor Samuel James said Nasfund's mobile service booth at the conference this week was a great way to serve their members.

"We have pastors who contribute with Nasfund but have come from very inland parts of Central but they were given the service here and at their doorstep," he said,

"I loved the service provided and most importantly I was given an ID card on the spot and through the voluntary contributions, I have raised my contribution today."

James said most or the pastors were interested in the voluntary contributions’ forms because the Nasfund team's presentation on the topic has boosted them to invest more or raise contributions from the normal 6% or member portion.

Nasfund's Employer Engagement Manager Hamilton Riman said from the whole week of attending and engaging with the pastors,

"There was high traffic during our weeklong engagement, and most participants were there for collection of member details update forms and registration of Eda Supa Accounts," Mr. Riman added.

Mr. Riman thanked the organizers of the Central Papua Conference for inviting the Nasfund team to set up and serve members especially to bring the much-needed services to their doorstep.

Nasfund Customer Service Officer Richard Topa attending to participants of the SDA Pastors Central Papua Conference at our service booth during Nasfund’s weeklong engagement at Mt Diamond in Central last week.

Nasfund team with attendees in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville earlier this week.

Building on years of dedicated service in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB), Nasfund’s Buka team, led by Martin Numan, has partnered with Port Moresby headquarters staff for a major regional outreach drive.

Central to this initiative is the onboarding of 1,300 employees from Lloyds Panguna Limited. Operating from a first-of-its-kind mobile branch directly at the Panguna Mine site, our joint team is working face-to-face with workers to register new superannuation accounts, activate Member Online access, and guide them through their Retirement Readiness plans.

Parallel to the Panguna onboarding, the team hosted an employer workshop in Buka and a networking event in Arawa to assist local organizations with compliance and superannuation education. These forums successfully engaged over 20 regional employers spanning government, retail, hospitality, education, and emerging industries.

Nasfund Chief Executive Officer, Rajeev Sharma, thanked Lloyds Panguna Limited and the attending businesses for their strong partnership.

"Nasfund remains committed to maintaining a responsive presence in AROB," Mr. Sharma said.

"Through the collaboration of our local and HQ staff, proactive member education, and accessible services, we will continue working with stakeholders to expand superannuation coverage and safeguard our members’ retirement savings."

Nasfund looks forward to building on this ongoing success at Panguna and continuing to serve the AROB business community for years to come.

Buka Employers with Nasfund team in Arob 2

PORT MORESBY, National Superannuation Fund Limited (Nasfund) has been delivering its Superannuation (Supa) Education Sessions in schools across PNG since 2024 as part of its commitment to preparing young Papua New Guineans for their future financial journey.

The program is a superannuation education and awareness initiative designed to educate students to understand superannuation, retirement savings and personal financial planning.

The initiative equips participants with essential superannuation education, including how superannuation works, understanding the role of Nasfund, the importance of starting to save early, strategies for growing retirement savings and the value of making informed financial decisions throughout life.

As part of this ongoing initiative, Nasfund Member Experience Manager, Melisha Sindiwan, conducted three Supa Education sessions over the past two weeks at Port Moresby Grammar School, providing Grade 12 students with a practical introduction to superannuation and long-term financial planning.

The sessions were very engaging and focused on building awareness around superannuation education, encouraging students to begin thinking about their financial planning well before they enter the workforce. Students were introduced to the basics of superannuation, the role it plays in securing finances and retirement savings, and the benefits of establishing savings habits.

This marks the third consecutive year that Nasfund has partnered with Port Moresby Grammar School to deliver the Supa Education program under school enrichment program for grade 12s, reinforcing the Fund's commitment to investing in financial literacy and empowering future generations with the knowledge needed to make sound financial decisions.

Speaking on the importance of the program, Port Moresby Grammar School Director Curriculum for Senior School, Brenda Kekeao, said the Supa Education sessions align closely with the school's future financial planning module.

"For this module, we actually looked at other organisations, but the school chose Nasfund because of the long-standing relationship the school has with the company," Ms Kekeao said.

"From these sessions, we hope this will help educate students about their future financial planning."

Ms Kekeao further acknowledged that the sessions serve as valuable enrichment programs for students, complementing classroom learning by providing expert knowledge from industry professionals.

"The sessions could also be regarded as enrichment programs because teachers are not specialised in superannuation. Experts like the Nasfund team are invited to carry out these sessions and provide students with practical knowledge and real-life financial insights," she said.

The Supa Education sessions also complement topics covered in the Grade 12 Business Studies curriculum, helping students connect classroom theory with practical financial concepts that they will encounter throughout their lives and careers.

Dear Members,

At Nasfund, our priority remains safeguarding, growing, and modernizing your superannuation savings. I am proud to announce a historic milestone in the journey of our Fund: Nasfund has officially surpassed K10 billion in Net Asset Value (NAV).

Crossing the K10 billion threshold is a great accomplishment in the history of Nasfund. It stands as a powerful testament to the discipline of our investment

strategies, the enduring contribution of Papua New Guinea’s workforce, and the trust you and your employers place in us every day. This financial foundation positions us to champion your retirement readiness and advocate for your retirement wellbeing

with greater impact than ever before.

Showcasing PNG on the Global and Regional Stage

Growing a K10 billion portfolio requires proactive leadership and strong relationships across our region:

• PNG Investment Conference in Brisbane: Attending the Business Advantage PNG Investment Conference alongside Eric Kramer from our Investments team, it was encouraging to see Nasfund’s operational data featured directly in Prime Minister James Marape’s opening address to reinforce the reality of Papua New Guinea’s economic growth. During his presentation, the Prime Minister outlined the nation’s

economic roadmap. During discussions Eric Kramer was direct in reminding international delegates that PNG holds both domestic capital and local expertise,

emphasizing that our market seeks genuine partnership and long term co investment from foreign investors, rather than simply outside capital.

• Pacific Islands Investment Forum (PIIF) in Fiji: At the PIIF meeting in Fiji, where I serve as CEO of Nasfund, President of ASFPNG, and Treasurer of PIIF, we are advancing discussions on a regional co-investment framework. This model enables super funds across the South Pacific to pool resources into major infrastructure assets, spreading portfolio risk while securing higher returns for our members.

Grassroots Outreach with Starlink Powered Mobile Service Booths

Nasfund has deployed mobile service booths equipped with Starlink satellite connectivity to break through local communication barriers:

• Provincial Onboarding: Our teams recently

travelled to Kimbe, West New Britain Province, directly onboarding and registering local smallholder growers into the Fund on the spot alongside the MiBank team.

• National Reach: Mobile booths are actively serving members across Port Moresby, Lae, and Kokopo, and are currently deploying throughout the Highlands region to bring complete service directly to rural workers.

A Comprehensive Digital Ecosystem

Our physical outreach works hand in hand with our expanding self-service digital platforms:

• WhatsApp and USSD TextBal: Check your account balances in real time using either the traditional *627# mobile short code or WhatsApp, with WhatsApp exclusively offering automated daily benefit payment updates.

• e-Branch Portal: Lodge unemployment benefit claims and apply for housing advance withdrawals online without waiting in branch lines. Simply email all

completed documents to e-withdrawals@nasfund.com.pg. Note that there is a strict file limit of 10 MB; any email attachment larger than this will not be received.

• Online Forms and Maintenance: Submit Member Details Update Forms and request the consolidation of multiple accounts straight to our member maintenance team for swift processing via the Nasfund e-Branch portal located on our website.

• Nasfund App and Member Online Portal: Track contribution histories, verify housing advance eligibility instantly, and update personal contact details so your records always remain current.

• Superannuation Calculator: Available directly on the Nasfund website, this tool helps you visualize what your retirement can look like and empowers you to adjust voluntary contributions and personal expenses to match your lifestyle preferences and long-term retirement goals.

Meeting Members Where They Are: Multi Channel Engagement and Social Growth

Effective member engagement must reflect the diverse demographics of our growing Fund:

• Expanding Social Reach: We have seen strong growth across our digital communities this month, with our LinkedIn network crossing 75,000 followers, alongside accelerating engagement across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and our interactive website chatbot.

• Encouraging Open Dialogue: Our data reveals that Nasfund members are proactive and confident in querying processes, questioning systems, and seeking clarity on products and services. We welcome this transparency and continue to invest in

relevant superannuation education tools such as the social media reels and Nasfund's ChatBot.