Participants of the council meeting
Fidelity Bank Ghana has partnered with the Lafferty Group to host the first 2023 meeting for the Retail Banking Council Africa.
The prestigious members-only Council which saw numerous presentations and panel discussions on the theme, ‘Driving Free Trade in Africa – How financial services can contribute to Digital Trade’, took place on 3rd and 4th May at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra.
The Council meeting brought together distinguished business leaders and academics, top African bankers and payments professionals to deliberate on contemporary developments within the Banking, Finance and Payments space.
In attendance at the Council Meeting held in Accra were officials from the Ministry of Finance, Bank of Ghana and the Office of Diasporian Affairs at the Presidency, along with representation from GhIPSS, as well as C-suite executives from Africa’s top banks and FinTechs.
Discussions and case studies arising from the Council theme touched on talking points such as Ghana’s success in driving interoperability between banks and mobile money businesses as well as the ongoing success story of Fidelity Bank Ghana in championing Financial Inclusion primarily through the establishment of widespread agency banking networks.
Managing Director of Fidelity Bank, Ghana, Julian Opuni, acknowledged the instrumental role that Banks, Fintechs and other allied businesses in the Banking and Finance value chain play in unearthing the enormous potential of Africa’s economy and driving business growth across the continent.
He averred, “The rapid proliferation and increasing sophistication of digital tech in finance and beyond, coupled with significant shifts in regional and global economic policy such as the landmark African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), suggest that we may be approaching a watershed moment in Africa.”
Divisional Director of Retail Banking at Fidelity Bank Ghana, Nana Esi Idun-Arkhurst, remarked,“It is from proactive engagements, conversations and bonding activities such as these Council meetings that powerful relationships and ideas are activated to seize the business opportunities of today and tomorrow, to create meaningful opportunities for individuals and small businesses, and ultimately to transform the world for the better.”
Director at Lafferty Group, Dr Ronan Lynch, co-hosts of the Council Meeting in Accra also asserted that the Retail Banking Council Africa is an incredibly dynamic Council and a platform for the propagation of pragmatic banking solutions for real people.