Rwandan President Kagame, Osinbajo, other African leaders to speak at CIBN’s bankers conference

All is set as Rwandan President Paul Kagame, other African leaders, prominent bankers, major economic players, captains of industries, regulators, policy makers, members of the academic community and other stakeholders in the banking and finance as well as the fintech industry, converge in Nigeria on September 14 – 15, 2021 for the 14th Annual Banking and Finance Conference.

The Conference, which is scheduled to hold, simultaneously, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja; Bankers’ House Lagos and through Zoom teleconferencing is the largest gathering of banking and finance professionals in Nigeria.

The Event is organised by The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) through a Consultative Committee, chaired by the Group Managing Director/CEO, Access Bank Plc and Chairman, Body of Bank CEOs, and co-chaired by the Managing Director/CEO, Unity Bank Plc, Mrs. Tomi Somefun and the Managing Director/CEO, Jaiz Bank Plc, Mr. Hassan Usman.

The theme of the Conference, “Economic Recovery, Inclusion And Transformation: The Role Of Banking & Finance” Is predicated on the need to reposition the Banking and Finance Industry as a catalyst for economic recovery, inclusive growth, and transformation, thereby moving the future of Nigeria forward.

The Event is an annual knowledge, thought sharing, and solution-based forum for all stakeholders: policymakers, regulators, operators, service providers, members of the academia, and clients in the Financial Services Industry. It provides a medium for practitioners within the Industry and beyond to share experiences, exchange ideas and proffer pragmatic insights on contemporary issues affecting the sector and the economy.

CIBN said during a press conference on Friday that this year’s event is a paradigm shift from previous conferences, with a strategy to enhance the quality of knowledge shared and full comprehension of the various topics to be discussed at the Event.

The Event will be hosted as hybrid – virtually and physically. While over 10,000 participants, across the globe, are expected to participate virtually, there will be two physical locations for the Conference. The locations are the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja and the Ijewere Hall of the Bankers House, Victoria Island, Lagos.

All precautionarymeasures have been put in place to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic at the Abuja and Lagos venues. Adequate security arrangements have also been made for all the delegates to attend physically.

Dignitaries expected to grace the occasion are: His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; His Excellency, President Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda; His Excellency, Professor Yemi, Osinbajo, GCON, SAN, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; His Excellency, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Executive Governor of Lagos State; Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, Honourable Minister of Finance, Federal Republic of Nigeria and Mr. Mohammed Musa, Honorable Minister, Federal Capital Territory and may others.

The Chief Host of the Conference is Mr. Godwin Emefiele, CON, FCIB, Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria while the host is Mr. Bayo Olugbemi, FCIB, President and Chairman of Council, CIBN.

His Excellency, President Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda will speak on the theme of the Conference and set the tone for the Event, as the Keynote Speaker.

Other confirmed resources persons are: Mrs. Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, Honourable Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Federal Republic of Nigeria; Ms. Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, the United Nations / Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group; Professor Benedict Oramah, President, African Export–Import Bank (Afrexim); Mr. Wamkele Mene, Secretary General, African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and Ms. Vera Songwe, UN Under-Secretary General/Executive Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Africa; Honourable (Mrs). Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO, Nigerian Diaspora Commission and Dr. (Mrs.) Ajoritsedere Awosika, Chairman/Independent Non-Executive Director, Access Bank Plc.

Others are: Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, Executive Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission; Dr. Doyin Salami, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council; Mr. Ayotunde Coker, Chief Executive Officer, Rack Centre; Mr. Gbenga Agboola, Founder/ Chief Executive Officer, Flutterwave; Mr. Karl Toriola, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria; Mr. Bismarck Rewane, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Financial Derivatives Company Limited, His Highness Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, former Emir of Kano and Vice Chairman, Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency; Ms. Funke Opeke, Founder/Chief Executive Officer, Main One Cable Company; Mr. Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Founder/General Partner, Future Africa; Mr. Razaq Ahmed, CEO/Co-founder, Cowrywise and Mrs. Oyiza Salu, Group Head, Human Resources, GTBank Plc.

The Conference will feature five Business and fifteen Break-out Sessions. The topics for the Business Sessions are:

1. Economic Recovery, Inclusion & Transformation: The Role of Banking & Finance
2. Nigeria’s Economy Post-Covid: Unlocking the Potentials for Transformation 
3. Millennials, Digital Transformation & Future of Payments
4. Diversity, Inclusion & Equity: Closing the Gap of Untapped Opportunities
5. Advancing Digitization, Innovation & Inclusivity: Availability, Accessibility & Affordability of Digital Infrastructure

While the topics for the Break-out Sessions are economic recovery; Inclusion; transformation; security, trust & leadership effectiveness; identifying monetary & fiscal policies; fueling trans-african trade; and building an agile workforce.

Others are millennials as game changers for future of payments; leveraging technology for financial inclusion; women in leadership; enhancing corporate performance and sustainability through diversity; attracting foreign investments through diversity, inclusion & equity; infrastructure upgrades through public private partnership; fintech & banks as catalysts for inclusive economic growth; and creating a workplace culture of innovation.

As customary, the resolutions at the event will be made available to relevant stakeholders and policy makers to enable them to re-appraise and align their operations and strategies in line with the outcome of the Conference.

Habert Wigwe

According to the Chairman, Consultative Committee of 14th Annual Banking & Finance Conference and GMD/CEO, Access Bank Plc, Dr. Herbert Wigwe, “Apart from providing participants a veritable platform to connect with other professionals and industry stakeholders across the world, it promises to be intellectually stimulating. The millennials, GenY and GenZ have been considered as part of the primary target group for this year’s Conference and adequate provision has been made for their robust involvement and participation”.

He added that the Event is set to make history as the largest gathering of Bankers in world and went ahead to implore participants to register for the Conference through the Conference website.