AfCFTA: CIBN, PAPSS sign MoU to resolve payments-related challenges in continental trade
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) may be taking a proper rooting anytime soon following a swift intervention by the leadership of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) and Pan-African and Payment Settlement System (PAPSS).
The leadership of both organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to resolve payments-related barriers in the actualization of the AfCFTA.
The MoU was signed between both organizations at the CIBN’s just-concluded 15th annual Banking and Finance Conference which held from Wednesday 13th to Thursday 14th September, 2022 in Abuja.
Themed: ‘Repositioning the Financial Services Industry for an Evolving Glocal Context,’ the Conference featured five business and four plenary sessions with A-list faculty.
The business session featured the following topical issues; Banking in Africa: The Role of AfCFTA and PAPSS; Nigeria’s economy in the last five years: lessons learnt and choices to make in the next five years; Workforce globalisation: Opportunities and threat; Banking & Fintech: The nexus and opportunities; Climate change: The role of financial services sector.
The plenary session addressed the following; Sustainable financing: Opportunities, challenges and solutions for the energy sector; Food security: Unlocking Nigeria’s potentials to feed Africa; Creating economy: Scaling for jobs; Harnessing the untapped opportunities in Nigeria’s healthcare system.
According to a communiqué released by the Institute at the end of the two-day conference, both sessions recorded highly-engaging and intellectual discourse aimed at charting a new partway to unlocking Nigeria and Africa’s untapped potentials in Agriculture, healthcare, financial services and other key sectors.
Highpoints and resolutions
from the Business and Plenary Sessions include;
1. Focus on improving trade by resolving payments-related barriers isa fundamental requirement for the success of the AfCFTA and this has been highlighted by the PAPSS. PAPSS provides a model that would support international payments in local currency, thus resolving specific payment-related challenges.
2. There are a lot of opportunities for Africa and the wealth that is not being tapped because of the low level of trade interaction in the continent.
3. The Nigerian business model should be reshaped to address the unfriendly macroeconomic issues.
4. The growth of on-lending facilities for companies that have proper ESG goals and workable plans presents opportunities for businesses.
5. Infrastructure development needs to be facilitated to ensure the success of both the AfCFTA and PAPSS.
6. The new digital infrastructure should be explored to boost financing in the creative sector is minimal and not yet understood. The players in this industry need to identify the technocrats who understand the way the technology works and play with them.
7. Understand how comparative economies finance the creative sector. We should consider the depth of equity financing with emphasis on creating special needs banks, investment banks, and/or large asset funds, which are ways of financing the creative sector in other jurisdictions. In some instances, deliberate rebate schemes are also employed.
8. There is a need to leverage collaboration among various international financial institutions to boost growth and development of the creative industry.
9. With technological advancement, telemedicine has presented a viable solution for the provision of high-quality and low-cost health services.
10. With the policy change which has seen social insurance now being made mandatory, there will be a huge expansion in the pool of people who will require health insurance, and this presents an opportunity for the financial services industry to provide workable solutions.
11. Social dialogue in banking enterprises must be held on issues of common interests.
12. HR managers need to identify the factors that are within their control and strive to understand why their staff are emigrating to be able to tackle the ‘japa’ syndrome.
13. With the growing globalisation of work, talent has become fluid and borderless. Rather than recruit new workforce, organisations could improve or train internal talent.
14. The academic curriculum needs to be modernised to match the demands of businesses in the current clime.
15. The financial sector has a pivotal role to play in achieving the net-zero ambitions of the country.
16. The growth of green finance presents an opportunity for financial institutions to lay more emphasis on green-related assets financing.
17. CIBN should be involved in negotiating the terms for access to clean technology solutions needed to tackle the adverse effects of climate change.
Meanwhile, the Chairman, Conference Consultative Committee and Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Bank Plc, Mr Abubakar Suleiman advocated for the institution of US$20 million Capacity Building training fund to be housed in the CIBN. According to him, the proposed fund will be used to train and retrain workers who can fill the gap left by their colleagues who emigrate. He also pledged a donation of US$1 million by Sterling Bank to kick start the fund.
Dignitaries at the Conference include President Muhammadu Buhari, represented by the Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu represented by the Commissioner of Finance, Doctor Rabiu Olowo, Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele who also doubled as the Chief Host. Others in attendance include CEOs, seasoned bankers and industry stakeholders. The CIBN President, Ben Opara was host of the Conference.
