AITEC’s Fifth Annual Banking & Mobile Conference for COMESA Region is Here

Banking industry has metamorphosed into a critical player in the development in Kenya and East Africa. But with development comes vices. The sector is rife with crimes through mobile and internet banking solutions. Mobile has penetrated alot and is cross-border. Monitoring the system is a big problem. Banking institutions faces also the threat of solutions like M-Pesa and mobile sacco solutions which try to bridge the gap between the banked and the un-banked.

These challenges can only be effectively addressed when key industry leaders converge to brainstorm and share notes. There is no better forum for the same than the AITEC Banking & Mobile Money COMESA conference taking place in Nairobi from 2nd to 3rd March 2011. Over 100 international and local banking, microfinance, mobile payment and data security experts will be making presentations in plenary and specialist track sessions, sharing their knowledge with colleagues from the region’s financial services sector. The theme of the conference, “New strategies for a new era of financial integration” reflects the current drive in the region for economic integration.

The event has the backing of key stakeholders in the sector, including the Internet Solutions  and PayNet Group as platinum sponsor, Technology Associates as gold sponsor and SevenSeas Technologies as silver sponsor.

Announcing the initial speaker line-up for the conference, AITEC Chairman Sean Moroney, said: “This is the one educational and business networking event that bankers should add to their diaries now to make sure they are there to experience with peers from throughout the COMESA region this unique knowledge-sharing opportunity. A rich conference programme is taking shape and already includes some leading gurus from the financial services sector.”

I have a big reservation on what value some speakers bring to the conference. Again you will find them all over because they actually colonise the sector. They have no new idea. And the beauty of it is that many of the techies don’t go to such events which are now left to policy formulators, managers and beareaucrats. Techies will love to go to barcamps, bootcamps, un-conference metes and related no-so-formal events.