Experts, investors parley as Finance Week W/Africa opens

International investors, policy-makers, technocrats, regulators and top business executives will have the opportunity to dialogue on how the financial sector would remain a catalyst in driving sustainable economic growth when they meet at the Finance Week West Africa, organised by Montgomery Africa, between June 5 and 6, 2014, at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos.

With the theme: ‘Leadership, Innovation, Strategy and System for all financial professionals,’ discussions at the forum would centre on four key issues – financial leadership, risk management, pension investment, and women in leadership.

According to the organisers, the conference will avail business operators and regulators a viable platform to broaden their knowledge and skills on issues related to strategies, innovations, and also exchange ideas on financial best practices.

Briefing newsmen recently in Lagos, Wura Abiola, managing director, Management Transformation, said the conference will provide an opportunity for industry players and regulators to dialogue on various issues on the value chain that would consequently berth successful business decisions to grow the economy, not only in the financial sectors but other non-financial sectors of the economy.

Abiola argued that with Nigeria being African’s largest economy, the country remained the hallmark of business deals and transactions, saying “the choice of destination as regards to the imminent conference is very critical, and Lagos is the centre of commerce in West Africa, if not Africa as a continent.”

One of those topics to be discussed at the conference is the role of women in leadership. Abiola contended that women were critical and indispensable in growing the economy, adding that Nigerian women had always been good in exercising wills and pioneering economic growth.

The conference will however provide networking opportunity for women entrepreneurs and industrialists with avalanche of experience.

She also disclosed that the Investment and Securities Tribunal, an independent specialised judicial body charged with the responsibility of regulating and monitoring the capital market, will also be at the conference, noting that the purpose of this was to give investors the needed confidence.

This, Wale Ojo, zonal head, Investment and Securities Tribunal, Lagos, said “further signposts the relevance of the tribunal in a developing economy as Nigeria’s.”

The tribunal, which he described as a civil court, was set up to protect the rights, settle disputes between investors, and the capital market operators.

“The essence of the tribunal is to beef up investor’s confidence that have business relationships with stock broking firms, issuing houses and registers,” Ojo explained, noting that the tribunal remained committed to waxing strong ethical values in the discharge of its duties.

ODINAKA MBONU & JUSTICE GODFREY OKAMGBA