First Africa Financial Inclusion Summit Catalyzes Economic Equality
The inaugural Africa Financial Inclusion Summit and Expo concluded successfully at the Sun Square, City Bowl Hotel in Cape Town on March 15th, 2024.
Over two days, the event brought together delegates and speakers from across sub-Saharan Africa and beyond, aiming to accelerate and deepen financial inclusion in Africa, particularly targeting underserved markets and communities through innovative financing and technological interventions.
Key barriers to financial inclusion were extensively discussed throughout the summit. These included financial literacy, technology, infrastructure, unemployment, and regulatory and policy frameworks, identified as pivotal challenges by speakers and presenters.
With more than a hundred delegates and over forty speakers from various African countries such as South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Cameroon, Senegal, Kenya, Nigeria, as well as representatives from the USA, China, and France, the event provided a diverse platform for robust discussions and collaboration.
Stephen Munyao, the convener and Chair of the organizing committee, emphasized the critical importance of financial inclusion for socioeconomic development, poverty alleviation, job creation, and the achievement of sustainable development goals.
He noted, “Financial inclusion is critical for social economic development, poverty alleviation, job creation and can lead to the achievement of most of the sustainable development goals.”
Partly sponsored by Old Mutual’s Black Distributors Trust, the event marked a significant milestone in addressing the pressing issue of financial exclusion across the continent.
Looking ahead, the organizing committee announced plans to stage similar events in Johannesburg, South Africa, as well as in Kenya and Nigeria later in the year, aiming to continue the momentum generated by the inaugural summit.
