SWIFT To Host 26th African Regional Conference In Ghana

SWIFT has announced plans to host the 26th edition of the African Regional Conference (ARC) on 18-20 June 2019 in Accra, Ghana.

Supported by the Bank of Ghana, ARC 2019 will bring together over 500 leading financial service professionals from across the continent and beyond.

Delegates will discuss Africa’s evolving payments landscape, how the financial industry is embracing and delivering change for its customers, and how to manage risk in an increasingly digitised world.

Dr Ernest Addison, Governor of the Bank of Ghana, said, Ghana has recently undergone major reforms to overhaul its banking sector and improve governance.

“The SWIFT African Regional Conference comes at the opportune time as we continue to engage financial service stakeholders and partners. We look forward to hosting hundreds of leading financial experts at ARC and discussing the most significant issues facing West Africa and the continent as a whole,” he intimated.

Regional Director, Middle East, Turkey & Africa, SWIFT, Sido Bestani indicated that West Africa is fast growing, fast moving and holds some of Africa’s most influential economies.

He added that the region has created a compelling and accessible marketplace, holds several regional payments systems, and fosters a strong coherent voice through cooperation and regulatory alignment.

“We're delighted that Accra will play host to SWIFT‟s African Regional Conference and provide a backdrop for senior financial professionals to meet, network and share best practices,” he posited.

The theme of this year’s African Regional Conference is “Enabling The Digital Economy’.

Sessions will focus on Intra-African trade – is this Africa's greatest economic opportunity? Financial inclusion and the transformation of the payments sector, The digital reinvention of payments – embracing new technology, re-engineering international payments for a fast, digital age, real-time payments: is Africa ready?, Remaining relevant in an open banking world, can we ever counter the weakest link in cyber security - the people?, how banks are embracing technology to optimise compliance SWIFT will in due course announce the expert speakers and panelists set to participate in ARC 2019.