The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria Olayemi Cardoso, has reaffirmed the apex bank’s dedication to fostering intellectual dialogue and implementing policy-driven solutions to stabilize the economy.
Cardoso said these things while entertaining a group of Harvard Kennedy School scholars who were visiting Ghana and Nigeria as part of their Africa Trek.
The delegation, comprising 50 students from 19 countries including representatives from HKS, Harvard Business School, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University visited the CBN headquarters in Abuja to engage in discussions on Nigeria’s financial system.
In order to increase confidence in Nigeria’s financial sector, Cardoso, a HKS alumnus and the first African elected to the international HKS Alumni Board of Directors, stressed the value of sharing ideas and forming alliances.
“As we reset the Bank, we are committed to being a hub for thought leadership. The exposure you gain from institutions like Harvard is invaluable, and we see this as an opportunity to build long-term alliances,” he stated.
Addressing Nigeria’s economic outlook, Cardoso acknowledged ongoing challenges but highlighted progress in stabilizing the foreign exchange market and curbing inflation.
He pointed to recent visits from top executives of JP Morgan, Citi Bank, and the International Monetary Fund as a sign of increasing investor confidence in Nigeria’s financial direction.
“These are individuals who base their decisions on data and trends, not sentiment. Their interest reaffirms that we are on the right path,” he added.
Ms. Adaora Ndukwe, President of the Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Association of Nigeria and Ms. Sheffy Kolade, HKS Nigeria Trek Delegation Lead, expressed gratitude to the CBN for facilitating the engagement.
They commended the bank’s commitment to engaging with future policymakers and offering them valuable firsthand insights into Nigeria’s evolving economic landscape.
Through direct interactions with important politicians around the continent, the Africa Trek programme gives up-and-coming world leaders the opportunity to have conversations about financial stability, innovation, governance, and economic development.
The fact that this was the first time an Africa Trek delegation had come to the CBN further demonstrates the Bank’s dedication to information exchange and strategic alliances in its quest for economic stability and expansion.