The Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS) has launched an Academy to deliver structured professional training for capital market operators, investors and the general public.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Muhammad Nami, explained that the establishment of the CIS Academy was coming when Nigeria’s economy was facing challenges and required the right policy interventions.
He noted that the CIS Academy would be the frontier of knowledge, skills and competence needed at this cruel time to cope with the increasing digital revolution and competitiveness in the business landscape, saying the Academy would improve the performance of the Nigerian economy.
According to him, the CIS Academy will set and maintain high standards for capacity building, not only for practitioners in the Investment and Securitas Market in Nigeria but for all workforces in the financial service sector.
In his goodwill message, the Director-Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mr. Lamido Yuguda, represented by a Director in the Lagos Zonal office of the Commission, Mrs. Hafsat Rufai, commended the management of CIS for establishing the Academy.
According to him, since its establishment in 1990, CIS has been an essential contributor to the development of the Nigerian capital market with giant strides in building and maintaining its pride of place, providing training and certifications for Securities and Investment professionals in the market the financial services sector.
“Today’s event yet marks another important milestone in the Institute’s drive to more effectively and efficiently meet the knowledge and competencies needs of the current and old-age finance professionals, including members and non-members of the Institute. I sincerely hope and desire that upgrading the training and continuing professional development function of the Institute to full-fledged Academy status will significantly add scale and robustness to the scope of training provided by the Institute.”, said Yuguda.
Earlier in his welcome address, the President and Chairman of CIS, Mr. Olatunde Amolegbe, said the Academy was expected to run professional training programmes in Finance, Securities and Investment, Business and Management and Marketing, among other areas.
According to him, it will promote synergy among Capital market operators and the Academia to deepen Securities and Investment knowledge and provide well-structured training that forms the essential building blocks for personal and organizational development.
“In providing these services, CIS Academy will partner with prestigious universities, institutes, and specialized training centres locally and internationally to produce well-trained and competent manpower needed in the capital market and the economy,” Amolegbe said.
The General Manager of CIS Academy, Mr. Chukwudi Nga, said the Academy’s brand promise was to provide result-oriented training and quality courses at competitive prices.
“The Academy shall provide top-notch performance-improvement solutions systematically tailored to suit unique needs. We shall deliver learning solutions to empower employees and organizations, even government parastatals and ministries, to achieve excellent performance. Our goal is to transit online completely, as soon as possible, through our Learning Management System. We shall deploy innovative technology in our operations through our transformational workforce and creative teamwork. We shall bring the industry to meet with academics.”, said Nga.
The Chairman, Association of Securities Dealing Houses of Nigeria (ASHON), Mr. Sam Onukwue, who commended the Institute for the initiatives, said:
“The inauguration of this Academy could not have come at a better time, given the noticeable emergence of specialized platforms, innovative products and the attendant need to upskill and develop requisite capacities for efficient service delivery. With this upgrade of the Institute’s training department to an Academy, we are confident that the Institute will meet the training needs of certified professionals in the market and the entire staff of our member firms.”
The President of the Association of Capital Market Academics of Nigeria (ACMAN), Professor Uche Uwaleke, spoke extensively on “The Role of Academics in National Development: A case for CIS Academy.”
According to Uwaleke, “Besides implementing the CIS’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Policy, the Academy is expected to develop up-to-date training programmes for financial market professionals. This will keep them informed on the developments relevant to their work.”
The scholar believed it would enable CIS to champion the financial markets literacy revolution through cutting-edge educational programmes for a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including the provision of bespoke research services. He also noted that the new initiative would provide technical support for teaching capital market subjects in secondary schools and tertiary institutions.
The inauguration also attracted goodwill messages from top-class professionals in the financial market, including the President, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Dr. Bayo Olugbemi, the President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Mrs. Comfort Eyitayo, the President, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), Mr. Adesina Adedayo and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Mountain Top University, Professor John Akinyomi among others.
