NCC collaborating with the CBN to provide Financial Inclusion – Danbatta

The Digital Pay Expo 2018, officially kicked off o Tuesday, June 5, 2018, at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos and will run for 3 days. This year’s event, with the theme, “Innovative Financial Services for the vast un-served Segments”, attracted a cross section of delegates from all over the world, including payment gateway operators, biometric identification experts, banks and regulators, such as the CBN and the Telecom regulator, Nigerian Communication commission, NCC, most of whom, exhibited their various products at the event.

In his presentation titled, “Multi-Agency approach to Financial Inclusion, the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Communication Commission, NCC, Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, who was ably represented by the Deputy Director, Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis Department, NCC, Bashir Idris, stated that, the goal that Nigeria set, is to achieve 80% Financial Inclusion for adult Nigerians by the year 2020, in line with one of the Commissions 8-point agenda, NCC is collaborating with the CBN to provide access to o serve the un-served.

Prof. Danbatta stated that, apart from massive investment in expanded infrastructure and upgrade, the Commision has a Financial Inclusion Desk in its office, where stakeholders, such as the CBN, etc., can interface, regarding Financial Inclusion.

The EVC/CEO, NCC, while explaining that Financial Inclusion, is capable of reducing poverty, enhancing economic growth and reducing unemployment, a lot still needs to be done to achieve the objective.

Earlier, the Director, Banking & Payments, Central Bank of Nigeria, Dipo Fatokun, represented by Musa Jimoh, in his opening remarks, enlightened the gathering on the Financial Inclusion framework for Nigeria, stating that the country has only been able to achieve about 41%, with only 2 years remaining to get to 2020, the deadline to achieve 80%.

Other speakers that made presentations at the event, include the MD, Geosanar, India, Nish Kotecha, who is a Financial Services Entrepreneur and Investor, speaking on “Deepening Financial Inclusion”, MD, MicroSave, Kenya, Isaac Ondieki, who spoke on “The risk and fraud perspective to Financial Inclusion” and the Group Managing Director, Diamond Bank Plc, represented by the Executive Director, Business Development, Diamond Bank, Chizoma Okoli, who made a presentation on “Perspectives on Customer-Centric Inclusion Banking”.