FBN Merchant Bank, NESG collaborate on improved industrial development

To enhance growth and development in the banking industry, FBN Merchant Bank, the merchant banking subsidiary of the FBN Holdings Plc, which was a part and sponsor of the 23rd Nigerian Economic Summit, is partnering the Nigerian Economic Summit Group to develop the economy.

The summit, which held in Abuja, from Tuesday, October 10th to Thursday, 12th October, 2017, brought together national policy makers, regulators, government officials and industry experts to facilitate discussions around private sector led investments approach; and how this is key to providing sector opportunities in a manner that becomes a holistic national strategy for growth and development with measurable outcomes.

According to a statement by the Deputy Managing Director, FBN Merchant Bank, Mr. Taiwo Okeowo, “FBN Merchant Bank is committed to enhancing growth and development in the industry, by supporting platforms that offer opportunities for interchange of ideas, knowledge and capacity building in order to create jobs and improve productivity in all sectors of the Nigerian economy.”

Okeowo, who commended the NESG for creating a platform that gave the opportunity for close interactions between the public and private sector players, further emphasized that FBN would continue to play a significant role in the development of the Nigerian economy.

The Conference, themed: “Opportunities, Productivity & Employment: Actualizing the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan,” provided an enabling platform to discuss and deliberate on strategies from model markets and subject matter experts, towards re-emphasizing the value of public-private partnership, in driving the Nigerian economy.

In his opening remarks, the Chairman of NESG, Mr. Kyari Abba Bukar described the summit as the most robust and credible platform to interrogate National policy direction.
Bukar said since its first summit in 1993, the NESG has evolved into a leading advocate for national economic growth.

Topics discussed at the event included: Agriculture & food security: building the competitiveness of Nigerian agribusiness; financial inclusion & financial markets: Enabling accessibility to capital through financial inclusion and alternative funding; human capital development: Job creation and economic growth through human capital development.

In collaboration with the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, FBN Merchant Bank and First Bank of Nigeria also hosted a dinner on ‘Entrepreneurship and Employability’ in conversation with a panel of young people on the 11th of October, 2017, where clients, customers and industry experts where able to deliberate and offer workable solutions on ways to reduce unemployment in Nigeria while promoting entrepreneurship skills.

FBN Merchant Bank also collaborated with the NESG during the NES#22 themed: ‘Made-in-Nigeria” in a mission to drive thought leadership and promote diversity in the Nigerian economy.

Afolabi Adesola