The Ministry of Education has charged the Chartered Institute of Bankers – Ghana to step up efforts in providing digital skills training as Ghana moves towards a cash-lite economy.
Delivering a speech during the 12th Graduation and Induction Ceremony of the Chartered Institute of Bankers on behalf of the Minister of Education, the Director in charge of tertiary education, Dr. Eric Nkansah, tasked the Institute to introduce courses related to digitization to prepare its members for the advancing nature of the world of work.
According to him, the COVID-19 pandemic brought to the fore the need for technology to be deployed in various sectors of the economy including banking, and based on the massive developments within the sector, it will be advantageous for members of the institute to have the right skills to be relevant in the sector.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has taught all of us very useful lessons. The most paramount is the need to harness information technology in our educational schemes to churn out graduates who can quickly adapt to the working environment. Ghana’s banking industry has witnessed exponential growth over the years and undergone several reforms under the supervision of the central bank of Ghana.”
“We are all witnesses to how digitalization is changing the face of banking today, therefore the institution must step up its efforts to offer its services, a wide range of digital skills training and capacity building. The institutions must consider rolling out curriculum development and introduce other relevant courses in line with digitalization,” he said.
In a related development, the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has implored the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Ghana and stakeholders in the banking industry to build synergies and leverage digital banking for trading under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He said digitisation was the future for banking globally, and it was imperative for banks and other stakeholders to collaborate and use digital platforms for cross-border transactions and trade facilitation on the continent.
He made this known at the 25th National Banking Conference of the Chartered Institute of Bankers on the theme: ‘The Digital Economy of Ghana: The Strategic Role of the Banking Industry,’ in Accra earlier this week.
