CIBN in pact with 50 varsities, polys on curriculum development

Prof. Segun Ajibola, the President, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, says the Institute has established linkage agreements with about 50 universities and polytechnics in Nigeria on curriculum development.
Ajibola told the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Lagos that the linkage agreements were aimed at streamlining CIBN’s curriculum with those of the respective universities and polytechnics.
Ajibola said: “The linkage agreement is to train the young students and blend their respective training in universities and polytechnics with the CIBN’s professional curriculum.
“What we intend to achieve is that as they are graduating with either B.sc or HND, within a space of time, they just need to write a few papers to become chartered bankers.”
According to Ajibola, the CIBN has also started postgraduate programmes in over 20 universities with a view to build capacities at various levels of the country’s banking industry.
Ajibola said that the CIBN has trained and certified about 3500 management staff of microfinance banks as part of its 16 certification programmes covering all areas of banking.
The CIBN president noted that the major crisis facing the nation’s banking industry was skill gap and dearth of experienced and competent hands.
He said that the Institute has introduced Continued Compulsory Professional Development for its members to bridge the skills gap.
Ajibola said that the CIBN has inaugurated a new body of bank chief executive officers under a new leadership to ensure effective communication among practitioners, operators and regulators and government.
He said that the CIBN would soon introduce new radio and television programme – You and Your Banker – where members of the public could dialogue with experienced hands in banking industry.
He said: “We’ll be bringing authorities and personalities in banking industry on radio and television to communicate directly with citizens at the grassroot in the language they understand in anything banking.
“New concepts are coming into banking lexicon in recent times and the dictionary is getting bigger and bigger every day.
“So we need to continually enlighten the man on the street concepts such as TSA, BVN, for instance.”