A Director in the Finance Department of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Tope Omage, has solicited the cooperation of youths towards building their capacity on skills acquisition and promotion of self-reliance.
Omage stated this on Thursday while declaring open a two-day sensitization fair in Jos, Plateau State.
She said the programme was meant to mobilize towards repositioning the economy and the opportunity to low income owners.
She said it was also aimed at informing Nigerians about the cashless policy of electronic payment system in Nigeria.
Represented by an Assistant Director, Alhaji Aliyu Katuka, Omega said the management of CBN attaches high premium and commitment to the sensitization programme, which main objective was to create awareness about the economic development of bringing opportunities available and how best to leverage on it.
She noted that the fair is to mobilize women, youths, entrepreneurs, farmers and financial service providers to come together and interact by creating synergy towards enhancing access to finance, increase productivity,generate employment, create wealth and engender sustainable growth.
Omage reminded Nigerians that the Bank Verification Number registration is still ongoing and that those who are yet to either register or link their bank accounts with the use of the BVN should endeavour to do so as soon as possible.
On his part, the Branch Controller of the CBN in Plateau State, Mathias Kurah, said the bank continued to evolve the policy formulations and implementation to tackle some of the critical challenges confronting us a nation.
Kurah disclosed that the programme will facilitate the general public’s compliance to the policies and effective participation in the various initiatives of Federal Government.
He said: “As part of the Bank’s effort to realizing Government’s aspirations of being among the largest 20 economies in the world by the year 2020, CBN introduced the cashless policy to modernize Nigeria payment system.”
He added that Nigeria’s rates of adult financial exclusion was estimated at about 46.3 per cent of the highest in sub-Saharan Africa.”
Kurah lamented inadequate electric power supply, poor transport systems, lack of access to appropriate and affordable technology and a host of other challenges, which must all be addressed.