There is a global consensus on the importance of financial inclusion due to its key role of bringing integrity and stability into an economy’s financial system, as well as its role in fighting poverty in a sustainable manner.
It is more pertinent in the case of Nigeria as a developing nation to use financial inclusion as a platform not just for growing the financial sector but more as an engine for driving an inclusive economic growth.
One of the critical initiatives in this direction was the incorporation of financial inclusion as one of the cardinal objectives of the Nigerian Financial System Strategy 2020 (FSS 2020).
It represents a holistic and strategic road map and framework for developing the Nigerian financial sector into a growth catalyst that will enable Nigeria be one of the 20 largest economies by 2020.
It is against this backdrop that the Committee of e-Business Industry Heads (CeBIH) has chosen the theme “Repositioning Digital Payments to achieve the Financial Inclusion Goals of FSS 20:2020,” for her 2017 annual retreat.
The retreat will focus on and critically examine the progress, current status and what needs to be done for the country to achieve the national financial inclusion goals of achieving 80 percent inclusion such as access to finance, insurance services and plans by the year 2020.
The retreat, which has over the years been a meeting point for assessment of the industry and charting the course of the industry’s direction by for all stakeholders in the Nigerian payment industry is scheduled to hold from the 23rd – 24th November 2017 at the Park Inn By Radisson, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The opening session of the retreat which is expected to be declared open by Bayo Adelabu, the Deputy Governor – Operations, Central Bank of Nigeria with a Keynote address by Dotun Suleiman, the Chairman of SecureID Limited. Outlined speakers for this year’s retreat include Isaac Ondieki, Regional Managing Director of MicroSave Africa, Simi Nwogugu of Junior Achievements Nigeria, Yinka David-West of Lagos Business School, Emeka Okoye of Cymantiks Nigeria limited, Bunmi Akinyemiju of Venture Garden Group and Ekechi Nwokah of Mines Inc.
Speaking on the forthcoming retreat, the Chairman of CeBIH and Chief Digital Officer of ALAT, Dele Adeyinka expressed optimism that the retreat will go a long way in recommending ideas towards achieving the financial inclusion objectives of the FSS 20:2020 as participants will gain insights to principles that have aided financial inclusion in different climes across the globe. He added that arrangements have been put in place to ensure that all participants maximize the opportunities for networking, knowledge acquisition and relaxation.
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