As the Apex of Microfinance Institutions in Nigeria, ANMFIN is expected to accept and apply change where and when necessary in order to be able to meet the daunting challenges posed to it by circumstantial exigencies that has to do with adequate representation of its members in accessing government and development partners support in improving their businesses. It is in this light that the recent change of the Executive Secretary of ANMFIN was greeted with positive schism by observers of financial institutions in the country.
However the new leadership received their first test of efficiency and effectiveness by way of planning and presenting ANMFIN to the world by utilising the opportunity provided by the Developing Nation’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise’s Financial Conference recently organised by the Central Bank of Nigeria Annual Microfinance Conference showcase members products and services to participants at the conference and the world in general.
The creation of ANMFIN by the CBN was purposely to regulate and coordinate the activities of Non-Bank Microfinance Institutions in Nigeria. As a prove of the new Executive Secretary/CEO, Dr. Godbless Safugha’s agility and ability to deliver on ANMFIN’s objectives; ANMFIN’s mandate was reinforced at the recent Annual Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Financial Conference which was held concurrently with the D – 8 workshop on microfinance for small and medium enterprises. The conference was billed to search for common solution to the challenges of access to finance for micro, small and medium enterprise, MSME’s in participating countries – a critical sector that ANMFIN is mandated to coordinate and regulate.
Indeed, ANMFIN took the opportunity with both hands to showcase the association to the world as ANMFIN’s dynamic National President, Hon. Alh. Hamid Giwa Afolabi led a powerful delegation made up of all the Board Members and the State Presidents of ANMFIN to the conference. This was very important as it provided the associations leadership at the national and state level alike the opportunity to network with like-minds and the leadership of similar institutions from other D-8 countries like Malaysia, Pakistan, Egypt, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, and Turkey that participated in the conference.
Known for his organisational and managerial prowess, the executive secretary, Dr. Godbless Safugha crossed every T’s and dotted every I’s to ensure that members of the association that have standard products and services exhibited their products during the conference by securing a distinct stand at the exhibition centre of the conference.
Speaking at the conference, the CBN governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, identified infrastructure deficit, policy inconsistencies, poor record keeping, multiple taxation, etc… as factors necessitating the financial gaps in the Nigeria economy and took time-out to launch the N220 billion (Two hundred billion Naira) micro, small and medium enterprise’s development fund (MSMEDF) designed to enhance the access to finance by cooperatives and other small businesses.
Reacting to the launch of the N220 billion MSMEDF, the CEO, ANMFIN commended the CBN governor for the foresight, hard-work and sincerity, “I must tell you that this fund will break every barrier encumbering small business development and growth in the country. However, I will like to use this medium to assure our members and potential members (cooperatives and other financial NGO’s) that every effort will be made to leverage on the existing goodwill that ANMFIN enjoys with the CBN and the participating financial institutions, PFI’s in the disbursement of the fund to ensure that our members are adequately carried along, but most importantly, our members should be aware that we need their support and cooperation to be able to actualise our goals”.
