Yemisi Izuora
The Managing Director/CEO Bank of Industry (BOI), Mr. Rasheed Olaoluwa, will lead other banking and real sector experts to discuss banks and SME relationships in Nigeria at the 2015 Finance Correspondents Association of Nigeria (FICAN) Annual Conference.
Olaoluwa, who is the keynote speaker will speak on the theme of the conference which is “Banks and SMEs in Nigeria: Prospects, Challenges and Success Stories’.
The conference which is scheduled to hold from Saturday 19th–Sunday 20th September 2015 at the Peninsular Resort, Lekki-Epe Expressway, Ajah Lagos, will also feature a technical session, which would be chaired by the Special Guest of Honour, Alhaji Ibrahim Muazu, Director, Corporate Communications at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
The technical session will feature presentations from real sector and banking experts including Mr. Eke Ubiji, Director General, Nigeria Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME) and Dr. Femi Egbesola, President, Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria (ASBON).
Others are Mr. Gbenga Akinpelu, Group Head, Retail, First Bank Nigeria and CHidimma Lawason, Head of MSME & Agency Banking, Diamond Bank Plc; Bayo Ogunnusi, Group Head, SME Banking, Heritage Bank and Mr. Peter Bankole, Director, Enterprise Development Center, Pan Atlantic University.
Dr. Egbesola will speak on: Banks’ Relationship with Small Businesses: Perception and Realities while Akinpelu. Ubiji, Lawason and Ogunnsi will speak on Financing SMES: Challenges and Success Stories. Mr will speak on Financing Needs of SMEs Vs Banks’ Offerings for SMES while Bankole will focus on Major Lessons from Facilitating Between Banks and SMEs.
The event will also attract distinguished policy makers, leaders in the financial and civil rights groups, merchants, as well as corporate affairs managers in financial services sector, among others.
FICAN is the umbrella body of journalists and business editors reporting the finance sector of the economy, with membership of over 150 journalists in the print, electronic and online media.
The Annual FICAN Conference is a capacity building conference designed to deepen understanding of financial journalists of development in the economy and enhance quality of reporting of such development.
The 2015 conference is aimed at providing opportunity for financial journalists to deepen understanding of the nature of relationship between banks and SMEs and also the various services, programmes, and funds created by banks and other financial institutions to assist SME businesses.