A Look Back at the 3rd Edition of the Ghana FinTech Awards
Martin Awagah ??????
Economist | Finance | Fintech | Payments | Financial Inclusion | Consultant
Exactly a month today, on Saturday, 9th March, 2024, the 3rd edition of the Ghana FinTech Awards was held on the theme: balancing innovation and compliance in creating a digital economy. This event does not only seek to celebrate excellence, resilience and showcase innovations in the fintech industry, but also to serve as an opportunity to bring out the leaders in the industry to meet with each other, exchange ideas on how to solve industry problems, as well as contribute their quota to finding long lasting solutions to enhance the industry’s infrastructural needs.
This year’s event brought together titans of the entire fintech industry, ranging from telecommunication firms, payment service providers, commercial banks, academia, auditing firms, tech law firms, with strong support from regulators like the Bank of Ghana and the Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems Limited (GhIPSS).
Networking and Engagements:
The program started with a spectacular red carpet hosted by Yayra Ofori and Benjamin Owusu - Ansah with support from the Ghana Innovation Journal where industry leaders, experts and participants were interviewed on their expectations of the event. This part of the program achieved the networking goal of the Ghana FinTech Awards.
Empowering Women in FinTech:
Thereafter, Eunice Asantewaa Ankomah, MCIPR, CDFP hosted the launch of the women in fintech programme, one that we have initiated to bridge the gender gap, empower women, facilitate establishment of female-led fintechs and groom women-leaders in the Ghanaian Financial Technology industry. This is expected to be achieved through an integrated set of events, projects and programs designed to provide knowledge, exposure and mentorship in a learning space with access to facilities for women.
Spotlight on Industry Leaders:
Additionally, a magazine titled: Top Fintech Voices was launched. This spectacular magazine has been initiated to spotlight leaders, innovators and experts within the industry. Many a times, fintech leaders in Ghana and Africa at large, have worked behind the scenes, providing exceptional leadership and solutions: products and services, with the required regulatory frameworks, to ensure a seamless experience for customers. This project is being led by Charles Anyiri and published by Solomon Sedinam Agbemenya with S&D Chartered Accountants as their knowledge partners. The Magazine, which also features articles and thought-provoking issues pertaining to the development of fintech in Ghana and Africa, was again hosted by Eunice Asantewaa Ankomah, MCIPR, CDFP
As a result, the Top FinTech Voices magazine, which was recently launched is not only limited to Ghana but is a project that is being expanded to reach leaders within the entirety of Africa.
The main event was chaired by Kwame Oppong from the Bank of Ghana , with eloquently experienced hosts Kokui Selormey and Kafui DEY
Thought-Provoking Debate:
As an exceptional emcee, Jerry Adjorlolo moderated a session of the event which saw a thought-provoking debate on the theme for the day. For me, this was the highlight of the evening, where two teams: Compliance Team represented by Maria Aba Sam Adu-Agyei of Onafriq and Armoo Benjamin Kyei of GCB Bank PLC and Innovation Team represented by Angela Nketiaa Tagoe (Opare) FMVA?? of Fidelity Bank Ghana and Jeremy Quainoo of JUMO : respectively battled it out on whether we should usher in an era of unbridled innovation by relaxing regulatory compliance, or we must tighten the reins of regulation to safeguard the trust and stability of the financial sector ecosystem?
To sum it up, industry experts, in the form of discussants added their voices to the debate. These included:
Shaibu Haruna - CEO MTN Ghana Mobile Money Limited
Robert Dzato - CEO Chartered Institute of Bankers, Ghana (CIB Ghana)
To add some spice to the debate, participants at the Awards were sent individual links to cast their votes for which side of debates won the day, in terms of issues or points raised.
Before the result on the votes were declared, Bernard Avle hosted Kwame Oppong , Director of the FinTech and Innovation via a session titled, TIME WITH BOG, where as a regulator, they needed to showcase what they have been doing to accelerate the drive towards digital financial services delivery and a cashlite/digital economy.
At the end of it all, the results were declared and TEAM INNOVATION took the day.
In my best opinion, the theme resonated well with the debate and that is where the final lines were drawn on the battle witnessed at this prestigious event and that is, we need equal doses of regulatory compliance and innovation to drive a stable financial sector ecosystem.
Acknowledging Excellence:
As a packed awards and dinner evening, a total of 34 awards and honorary achievements were placed on companies and individuals within Ghana’s financial sector.
Broadspectrum Digital Payments were crowned as the overall FINTECH COMPANY OF THE YEAR.
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Archie Hesse for his pioneering and excellent leadership of Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems Limited , was crowned as the awardee of LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT FOR FINANCIAL INCLUSION
Ernest Addison , for his forward-thinking leadership at the Bank of Ghana and by establishing the FinTech and Innovation Office to spearhead licensing and regulatory compliance of fintechs in Ghana, was honored with the LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD.
Gratitude to Sponsors:
All these could not have been achieved without the support of our esteemed sponsors:
Amazon Web Services (AWS) Virtual InfoSec Africa Limited GCB Bank PLC Taptap Send Intelligent Card Production Systems Oakwood Green Africa Smart Infraco Liquid C2 EazyTagg Technologies and She Guards
We appreciate their immense relevance in making the industry, one that is poised for exceptional development.
In conclusion, the Ghana FinTech Awards served as a testament to the vibrancy and potential of the fintech industry in driving economic growth and digital transformation. As we reflect on the deliberations and achievements of this remarkable evening, let us reaffirm our commitment to fostering a harmonious synergy between innovation and compliance, thereby propelling Ghana towards becoming a beacon of fintech excellence on the African continent and beyond.
Not forgetting the organizers: Arkel Limited Ghana Fintech and Payments Association and KPMG Ghana
Find out more on our website at https://ghanafintechawards.org/
Read more about the Awards here:
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11 个月What were some of the key takeaways from the Ghana FinTech Awards 2023 in terms of balancing innovation and compliance?