By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The spotlight will be on Investor Resilience and Sustainable Finance at the 2022 World Investor Week (WIW), being coordinated by the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO).
There would be weeklong activities between Monday, October 24 and Friday, October 28, for the event in Nigeria packaged by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), in collaboration with the Financial Literacy Technical Committee (FLTC).
This year is the 6th edition of the campaign aimed at promoting investor education and protection and strengthening collaborations among member jurisdictions.
Some of the activities organised by the SEC include interaction with the public on investor education, rights and protection that are considered critical to retail investors nationwide.
In particular, webinars titled The Non-Interest Capital Market as Panacea to Mortgage Financing in Nigeria and Investor Resilience and Sustainable Finance will be hosted on October 26 and 27, 2022, respectively.
The Director-General of the SEC, Mr Lamido Yuguda, stated that the agency and other players in the capital market have, over time, frequently sought to enhance the level and quality of financial literacy in Nigeria.
He said, “Major among the recent initiatives is the ongoing plan to introduce capital market studies in Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Institutions, a project which has reached an advanced stage. Undoubtedly, the delivery of this project will change the face of financial literacy in Nigeria.”
“Indeed, for this sixth edition of the WIW, stakeholders nationwide are urged to collaborate with the commission, and in their different ways create the awareness on the need to educate and protect the investor.”
Also, Mr Ashley Alder, the Chair of the IOSCO Board and the Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, said, “During the last two years, we have seen a growing number of retail investors participating in securities markets, in the context of the global pandemic.
“Those investors face new challenges, such as inflationary pressures and the uncertainties deriving from geopolitical tensions. Financial education and investor protection play a critical role in enhancing investor resilience and investor confidence to participate in the financial market on a properly informed basis.”
Adedapo Adesanya