By Ajibola Olarinoye
The African Banker Governor of the Year award has been given to Olayemi Cardoso, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
A statement by the CBN said the event was hosted at the city of Abidjan in Cote d d Ivoire and attended by senior government officials, development finance executives and the top executives in the banking sector in Africa.
The African Banker magazine award is give to Mr. Cardosa who has taken the crucial monetary and regulatory checks and balances that have contributed to some sanity that has been enforced in the financial system of Nigeria.
The organizers have praised his decisions, which were bold and strategic, as having the effect of enhancing better confidence of the market and a platform on which they can continue to grow economically even after his actions.
In their official announcement, the Awards Committee said that the Central Bank was working to stabilize the naira and to protect the economy against the turbulence in the foreign exchange market.
As the statement suggests, such efforts have established a foundation to the long term macroeconomic stability, and have rejuvenated investor confidence.
Dr. Nkiru Balonwu, Adviser to the Governor on Stakeholder Engagement and Strategic Communication accepted the award on behalf of the Governor of CBN. She brought with her on the stage Dr. Victor Oboh, Director of the Monetary Policy Department, and Dr. Olubukola Akinwumi, Director of the Banking Supervision Department. They were later joined by Dr. Aloysius Uche Ordu who was a member of the CBN Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).
According to the organizers of this event, this honor embodies what the Central Bank has done in solving structural issues in the financial system, in managing market expectations and positioning the economy of Nigeria to grow sustainably.
There were numerous stakeholders present at the ceremony this year including finance ministers, central bank governors, CEOs of commercial and development banks and other powerful individuals.
