GOVERNOR SAIDY ADDRESSES AFRICAN TRADE FINANCE FORUM IN LONDON

Buah Saidy, Governor of the Central Bank of The Gambia, has, in a bold and uncompromising speech at CONVERGE 25 meeting in London, said the African continent must redefine its role in the global commodity finance landscape.
CONVERGE 2025, is a thought-leadership platform dedicated to advancing international trade finance for Africa, and building capacity in compliance and risk management. It was held in London from the 6th to 8th August to foster impactful dialogue and actionable insights for the continent’s growth and prosperity through trade finance, correspondent banking, and global payments.
Speaking on the topic “Growing Africa through Commodities: The Central Bank’s Perspective”, Governor Saidy said Africa cannot afford to be a rule taker because our growth cannot be measured by how much we extract but by how much we transform.”
Governor Saidy further told the forum that the path to sustainable prosperity lies in shifting from being suppliers of raw commodities to becoming value creators in global markets.
“Central Banks must be activists of change, moving beyond traditional roles as custodians of monetary policy to becoming architects of structural transformation, ” he said.
Governor Saidy’s vision mirrors the central theme of the forum, rethinking commodity finance for growth, a call to action for policymakers, financial institutions, and trade actors to work in unison to capture greater value within Africa and break the cycle of dependency. Organised by the Ghana International Bank (GHIB), CONVERGE 2025 is built on the success of “CONVERGE 2024, and its theme Rethinking Commodity Finance for Growth” is designed for sovereigns, banks, and corporates engaged in African commodity trade and promises to deepen conversations around commodity finance for African growth. Governor Said was among dozens of high profiled dignitaries that attended the forum.

Source: The Standard