-InBanking, Finance & Entrepreneurship
By Vaye A. Lepolu
The Banking Institute of Liberia, the training arm of the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) and the Liberia Banker Association (LBA) through its Professional Development training program and Business Enterprise Development initiative over the weekend graduated one hundred and fifty-six professionals in the banking and financial sector to improve effective, efficient and quality service delivery in the Liberian economy.
The graduation ceremony which was held at the Monrovia Christian Fellowship Church on Saturday, January 31, 2025, brought together financial experts from the Ministry of Finance, Central Bank of Liberia, and professional private financial experts and graduates, as well as family members.
BIL provides two types of career development courses which include, a professional development training program and a business development program, which aims to upgrade the professional skills of financial stakeholders in the banking, finance, and development sectors and also provide the necessary knowledge sets for people wishing entry into the sectors.
Furthermore, they provide cutting-edge training and support to improve the managerial and administrative professional competence of staffers in the banking and financial sector, including banking and financial services in the country.
Following approximately fight-months of intensive training, the graduates got diplomas in banking and finance, internal audit and controls, procurement and supply chain management, monitoring and evaluation, marketing management, digital banking and marketing, compliance and corporate risk management, human resource, and customer relationship management, office administration and organization management, public accounting and finance, work planning and report writing and computerized accounting.
Giving his special message, the Executive Director/ Director General of BIL Asst. Prof. Richard S. Panton said that the graduation brings to an end the second training circle for which they are excited to graduate one hundred and fifty-six successful candidates in the banking and financial sector.
According to him, the BIL enterprise program is intended to strengthen and build the capacity of those who also have an interest in working in the financial and banking sectors and other sectors of the economy, while urging graduates to demonstrate integrity, maintain professionalism, and effective and efficient customer service delivery.
He urged that given the youthful population of Liberia, it’s important that the government of Liberia through the Ministry of Education introduce life skill education to defeat poverty and eliminate youth unemployment.
‘’ Today is yet another day to say thanks to God for achieving another milestone. We want to extend our profound appreciation to the Center Bank of Liberia and the Liberia Banker Association for their continued support of the work of the institution. This support is a driven manifestation to build capacity to improve performance and render effective and efficient service in the banking and financial sector of the Liberian economy’’ he concluded.
Delivering the keynote address on behalf of the Central Bank of Liberia Executive governor-designate, Mr. Musa Kamara, Technical Advisor to the Governor, expressed appreciation and excitement to BIL for continuing to educate and strengthen individuals in the banking and financial sector.
He, however, assured the CBL commitment to aiding the Banking Institute to enable Liberians to take over the banking and financial sector, adding that they have seen a lot of foreign banks coming into the country with foreign staff.
‘’So, when we saw that, we knew that it was never the future that we needed and so, we created the BIL to train individuals that take over the banking and financial sector administrative and managerial component. Now, I am excited to see this moving to a greater height with Liberian trained to take over the sector with integrity and professionalism’’ he noted.
