With the growth of mobile money and electronic money transfers, stakeholders in the sector are poised to discuss its challenges and new methods to enhance its efficiency at the 6th Ghana International Trade and Finance Conference (GITFiC).

The event which will take place again in Accra, on 23rd and 24th May, 2022 will have the Chief Executive of the Ghana Telecommunications Chamber, Dr. Ing. Ken Ashigbey as its Chief Executive

GITFiC 2022 seeks to update the evidence base of what is currently available in terms of reviewing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), data on digital trade, and in doing so, identifying potential options for estimating the value of cross border payment & settlement given the current data gaps.

The 6th Conference will, this year, consolidate the conversation from the 5th Conference on the AfCFTA and the Role of Local Governance in helping with extensive sensitisation, education, and preparing the minds of the business communities within the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District localities.

 The Vice President of VISA, MasterCard, Swift’s Senior Country Director for Western Africa, Chief Executive of Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Chief Executive of the Association of Micro-finance Institutions in Kenya, and the Regional Head of Société Général in West Africa based in Abidjan makes up the first panel on day one for discussion.

The theme is “Towards an Effective and Efficient Mobile Money Transactional Penetrations in Africa; A Catalyst to solving Cross Border Payment & Settlement, an Anticipated-Barrier within the AfCFTA; - The Role of Financial Regulators and Stakeholders”.

The second day of the conference christened; the Trade Minister’s Panel, will see some selected Trade Ministers within the continent joining the conclave.

The final panel discussion on day 2 is on the theme “Leveraging on the pillars of Trade-Finance – A catalyst for Industrial Growth and Acceleration Post Pandemic; the Role of Payment, Financing, Risk Mitigation, and Access to Information”.

This panel will seek to address current woes facing industries due to the prolonged restrictions on the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and the post pandemic – the available finance options for industry.

The Vice President of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development, the Head of Trade Finance at the African Development Bank, the Ivorian President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Special Advisor to the Ivorian President of the Federation of SMEs comprise the third panel.