Experts Brainstorm at AITEC Africa Conference

AITEC Africa, the leading organiser of ICT events across Africa, held the 2010 AITEC Banking & Mobile Money West Africa Conference at Eko Hotel’s new world-class conference centre over 11-12 May.
This year’s conference was tagged “Thought leadership and innovation to survive and thrive in a new banking era”.
Sean Moroney, chairman of Aitec Africa in his welcome address explained that “we live in a challenging world, particularly in the banking industry and it is vital for every manager and professional to have access to latest thinking on strategies, technologies and systems on the world market.”
Speaking on Pragmatic Ways to Achieve Financial Inclusion in Nigeria and West Africa, Macauley Atasie, CEO Nextzon Business Services said Financial Inclusion ensures access to financial services and timely and adequate credit where needed by vulnerable groups such as weaker sections and low income groups at an affordable cost.”
He added that “Financial Exclusion is the lack of access to basic formal financial products and services and credit leading to approaching informal/ exploitative markets.”
He noted that the financially excluded are small vendors, farmers, SMEs, artisans, semi/unskilled workers, unemployed, the poor and uneducated.
“In Nigeria, the structure for MFBs is still evolving, but it is clear that so far, we have not cracked it,” identifying the challenges of MFBs as efficient delivery channels, right products, industry standards and efficiency.
Atasie called for correspondent banking, mobile banking, absence of frills accounts, products with simplified documentation and shared offices back-office infrastructure.
“The current delivery channels of most financial institutions in Nigeria and other West African countries are ineffective at reaching the financially excluded, channels are too far away from the poor and are not modeled to suit their cultural and psychological make up,” he noted.
He said more recent financial inclusion efforts around the world are looking to combine the skills of traditional financial institution players with complementary, non-traditional distribution channels to reach low-income families.
Atasie called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other stakeholders to assist ISPs in accessing international funds for promoting financial inclusion while developing local funds
Hany Fekry, head of Sales & marketing, Mediterranean Smart Cards Company, Egypt while speaking on Smart Cards Challenges & Smart ways to address them, said third party processors were established to provide the experience and know-how to banks and financial institutions at competitive costs.
He said senior managers and decision makers need to focus on positioning themselves among their fierce competitors, and let their technical functions be handled by the experts.
“Outsourcing is rapidly becoming an accepted management tool for redefining and re-energizing the corporation. It challenges today's executives to rethink the traditional, vertically integrated firm in favor of a more flexible organization structured around core competencies and long-term, external relationships.”
Zain Khan CMC, CEO, Alliances Consulting, Canada, in his presentation on Critical Success Factors in Maximizing Consumer Participation and Acceptance of the Mobile Banking Paradigm Shift said the consumer is imperative as a key strategic variable in the success of mobile banking.
Khan said this explains the need for maintaining a balance between innovation and consumer interests, critical consumer considerations in the supply chain of mobile banking, provide innovative ways to proactively educate consumers and maximize the overall value to consumers in the deployment of mobile banking.
The bank switch panel discussion, was moderated by Foluso Phillips, CEO, Phillips Consulting on the topic, Nigeria’s Banking Switch Landscape: Building a Tower or Babel?
Discussants at the panel were Mitchel Elegbe, managing director, Interswitch, Francis Ebuehi, managing director of Chams Switch, Ike Nnamani, managing director, Medallion Communications and Barry Ryan, director, Kenswitch, Kenya.
Francis Ebuehi, managing director, Chams Switch said stakeholders must be involved in the policy and procedures of the National Central Switch. He said there must be strict adherence to professionalism built on the concept of separation of roles for a successful switch.
Ike Nnamani, managing director, Medallion Communications said seamless interoperatability poses a challenge to epayment while calling for a proactive, knowledgeable regulation with right guidelines.
Mitchel Elegbe, managing director, Interswitch said problems with SAT 3 caused problems with the use of cards. He said banks will bypass the NCS, if not properly structured.
The two day event had a line up of 40 speakers, moderators, workshop leaders and panelists, 20 of whom are international experts, to share their knowledge and insights with local bank professionals in a stimulating and empowering conference environment.
The event also included a world class expo, showcasing leading local and international suppliers of systems and solutions for the financial services sector.