CBN holds international financial inclusion conference

The National Financial Inclusion Steering Committee (NFIS) headed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is set to host its maiden International Financial Inclusion Conference (IFIC’22) on November 24 and 25, 2022.

The conference themed “Financial Inclusion for all: Scaling Innovative Digital Models’ will take place at Abuja, its Federal Capital. President Muhammadu Buhari would be the guest of honour at the event.

According to Godwin emefiele, Governor of CBN, the conference presents a unique opportunity to showcase our financial inclusion journey, particularly the innovative use cases that continue to emerge within the dynamic payments and financial system in the country.

“These will be important as we work to ensure 95 per cent of Nigerians are financially included by 2024.”

he said the conference also creates a platform to spotlight other countries’ experiences, the role of policy innovation, digital technology and out- ofthe-box approaches in tackling exclusion in underserved segments, and the strategic importance of public-private partnerships to promote digital financial services and economic sustainability.

The IFIC’22 would bring together delegates, experts and speakers across the world to examine the opportunities, identifying concrete solutions and interventions that would ensure achievement of the nation’s financial inclusion objectives.

other distinguished personalities expected at the conference are Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Isa Ali Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital economy.

“The conference would feature the launch of the revised National Financial Inclusion Strategy, the Nigeria Financial Services Maps (NFS Maps), the Women Agent Framework, the National Fintech Strategy and the Payment System Vision 2025,” Paul I. oluikpe, Secretariat of the National Financial Inclusion Technical Committee said.

oluikpe said it would also present the Innovation Labs exhibition highlighting innovative products and solutions and the Financial Inclusion Awards, which recognises stakeholders who have contributed to tackling exclusion and the advancement of financial inclusion in Nigeria.

“Nigeria would lead an important global conversation on the journey to closing the financial inclusion gap for the last mile in Sub-saharan Africa and globally.”