New Perspectives May 2016 | Página 4

Introduction As we approach the final phase of planning for the FiLEX Awards Ceremony on 27 May 2016, it is entirely in order to pause and look back at the journey up till this point. The truth is in 2006, when DIN launched its financial education programmes for small and medium-scale entrepreneurs, our narrow concern was to simply ensure that they had the knowledge and awareness to engage more effectively with and use the services of the newly established microfinance banks. So we piloted and tested a basic financial education curriculum to meet their needs given that so many of them were unbanked and had limited literacy skills. But what rapidly became clear was that against the backdrop of the financial crisis that hit in 2009 and the growing use of digital financial products, closing knowledge gaps about financial subjects would need to go beyond ad hoc measures no matter how successful. What the situation clearly called for was a more strategic approach, which would have national reach. Today, Nigeria has a National Framework on Financial Literacy. So we view the FiLEX Awards as an apt celebration of the progress that has been made in this space. This is one of the ways in which we can further entrench best practices and achieve successful outcomes in programme delivery. Global Money Week (GMW) comes up in the second week of March every year. This year's theme, Take Part, Save Smart is sound advice not just for children and youths who are the main target audience for the celebration but also adults. In the current economic recession, it is an evident truth that those who are best placed to weather the financial headwinds are those who have worked to achieve resilience by having adequate savings and sound investments. This was also the core message from our 2016 GMW Guest Speaker, Mrs Nimi Akinkugbe, CEO, Bestman Games Limited and Founder, Money Matters with Nimi. Just time to mention that in the coming months, we will be rolling out our new initiative for startups, which will provide advice, mentorship and training services to small business owners at launch or to facilitate their growth. Watch this space! Implementing Diamond Bank’s Beta Financial Education Programme New Perspectives 1