Weighing the evolving fintech ecosystem's future, critical in the financial services sector, Dr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu, the outgoing MD/CEO of
Under the nimble guidance of Dr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu, the outgoing Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of
Onyeagwu cuts to the heart of the unseemly intra-African trade quandary. His words: "In Africa, intra-African trade constitutes only about 20% of total trade, with the rest going overseas, despite Africans making up 18% of the world population but contributing less than 5% to global GDP. By trading within
Clearly, the foregoing regressive scenario urgently needed to be changed and intra-continental trade transformed to benefit
Apparently, one of the more recent spin-offs from his impactful financial services sector trajectory is initiating this cutting-edge partnership with AfCFTA. This hardly surprising.
Onyeagwu is reputed to regularly reject staying tamely at the end of received policy prescriptions. He covets knowledge-driven innovations, proactive engagement with stake-holders, policy makers and sure-footed action. These dimensions have been boldly mirrored in his leadership of
As it were,
The agreement which was signed by Onyeagwu and the Secretary-General of AfCFTA, Mr. Wamkele Mene, trails the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which was previously signed by both parties during the 8th Annual Edition of
On his part, speaking during the agreement signing,
His words: "Four years ago, we discussed and envisioned SMARTAfCFTA as a digital platform to empower SMEs and young entrepreneurs in
"Today is a testament that working together with our African partners in this case, Zenith bank, shows that their commitment goes beyond their profit margins to their stakeholders, but are motivated by our shared duty towards the continent."
For context and more clarity, the African Continental Free
As it were, by eliminating barriers to trade in
On the other hand, SMARTAfCFTA, as Mene had earlier intimated, is a digital platform designed to facilitate international trade by providing the necessary information and tools to the African private and public sectors. The Portal aims to streamline and unlock vast opportunities for trade across the African continent, and has the capacity to provide information like trade indicators, market trends, custom tariffs, trade agreements, Rules of Origin, market access requirements of relevant jurisdictions, export potentials, export diversification indicators and contact details of business partners in target markets and other trade-related information about
A sound professional and bold leader, it could be recalled that Onyeagwu's ground-breaking five-year tenure which ends in a fortnight saw
Unquestionably, Onyeagwu's astute corporate governance stewardship as
Onyeagwu's chairmanship of
It's no secret that the unprecedented economic conditions wrought by the global pandemic, seismic shifts on the global scene mirrored by the West's new nationalism, Sino-America tensions, the ongoing Russo-Ukranian conflict and the more recent
A particular challenge here is the perceived weakness of laudable intra-continental initiatives often undermined by exploitative extra continental forces. But many industry analysts believe that if Onyeagwu could weather the enervating storms, thrown his way at
He is justifiably expected to bring to his new mandate astute strategic thinking, inspirational leadership, sheer energy and his vintage consummate entrepreneurial skill.
His unique traits are anchored on fetching humility, notable consistency, stern discipline, deep ethics, unrelenting hard work and outstanding professionalism. He is indeed an inspirational leader with impeccable track records of excellence.
Bristling with about 35 years of industry experience, Onyeagwu has certainly paid his dues and as he turns his attention to new, novel responsibility of engaging
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