Regional Regulators of Pensions, Insurance & Capital Market Convene In Mombasa

Delegates to the workshop are middle to senior level professionals who are responsible for the regulation of pensions, insurance and securities in MEFMI member countries as well as officials from Ministries of Finance and/or Economic Planning responsible for policy development for the regulation of this sector.

Institutions such as pensions, insurance and securities also known as non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) are a significant component of the financial sector as they constitute a greater proportion of the entire financial sector assets in most countries in the region. As such they are systemically important as they can exacerbate the fragility of the financial system particularly where there is lack of effective regulation. MEFMI has organised international and regional experts from England, Switzerland, Namibia and Uganda to train the regional participants.

 

This workshop will seek to guide pensions, insurance and securities regulators to address institutional and systemic risk as well as share experiences of some of the current challenges they have had to grapple with. The programme will also cover intricate and crucial issues that embody international standards for pensions, insurance, capital markets all the way up to the latest developments in anti-money laundering and consumer protection in the non-bank sector.   MEFMI has a unique advantage of bringing together  countries from 3 regional blocks, namely EAC, SADC and COMESA and as a result, it capacity building programmes are known for providing the participants with an opportunity for countries’ to share their experiences and challenges in areas of mutual interest.

 

Over the years, MEFMI has provided regional in-country training to regulators of and non- banks, however focus has been on regulation of microfinance institutions. In 2015, MEFMI delivered a five week E-learning workshop on Fundamentals of Microfinance in collaboration with UNITAR. For the first time, the regional workshop on non-bank financial institutions will focus at other NBFI (Securities, pensions and insurance).

MEFMI member states have hailed MEFMI’s responsiveness and commitment to upgrading skills in emerging issues in the region. MEFMI has also been consistently working hard and proactively in providing practical capacity building programmes to the region for all levels of staff from entry level staff to executive level (Governors of Central Banks and Ministers of Finance). This has ensured that financial sector personnel receive the much needed training and knowledge to conduct their supervisory activities with confidence in the region.

 

The workshop is expected to be officially opened by the Central Bank of Kenya Governor Dr. Patrick Njoroge. The MEFMI Secretariat is being represented by Mr Patrick Mutimba, the Director of the Financial Sector Management, Mrs Sipho Makamba the Programme Manager for the event and Mrs Yvonne Masimo the Administrative Assistant for the event. Mr John Mutisya and Ms Christine Onyango from the Retirement Benefits Authority will represent Kenya.

 

Regulators for pensions, insurance and capital markets from all 14 MEFMI member countries have convened in Mombasa, Kenya at the Best Western Creek Plus Hotel for a five (5) day workshop.  MEFMI countries namely, Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mocambique, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Swaziland, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The workshop which is being conducted by MEFMI has attracted 29 delegates.

 

Delegates to the workshop are middle to senior level professionals who are responsible for the regulation of pensions, insurance and securities in MEFMI member countries as well as officials from Ministries of Finance and/or Economic Planning responsible for policy development for the regulation of this sector.

Institutions such as pensions, insurance and securities also known as non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) are a significant component of the financial sector as they constitute a greater proportion of the entire financial sector assets in most countries in the region. As such they are systemically important as they can exacerbate the fragility of the financial system particularly where there is lack of effective regulation. MEFMI has organised international and regional experts from England, Switzerland, Namibia and Uganda to train the regional participants.

 

This workshop will seek to guide pensions, insurance and securities regulators to address institutional and systemic risk as well as share experiences of some of the current challenges they have had to grapple with. The programme will also cover intricate and crucial issues that embody international standards for pensions, insurance, capital markets all the way up to the latest developments in anti-money laundering and consumer protection in the non-bank sector.   MEFMI has a unique advantage of bringing together  countries from 3 regional blocks, namely EAC, SADC and COMESA and as a result, it capacity building programmes are known for providing the participants with an opportunity for countries’ to share their experiences and challenges in areas of mutual interest.

 

Over the years, MEFMI has provided regional in-country training to regulators of and non- banks, however focus has been on regulation of microfinance institutions. In 2015, MEFMI delivered a five week E-learning workshop on Fundamentals of Microfinance in collaboration with UNITAR. For the first time, the regional workshop on non-bank financial institutions will focus at other NBFI (Securities, pensions and insurance).

MEFMI member states have hailed MEFMI’s responsiveness and commitment to upgrading skills in emerging issues in the region. MEFMI has also been consistently working hard and proactively in providing practical capacity building programmes to the region for all levels of staff from entry level staff to executive level (Governors of Central Banks and Ministers of Finance). This has ensured that financial sector personnel receive the much needed training and knowledge to conduct their supervisory activities with confidence in the region.

 

The workshop is expected to be officially opened by the Central Bank of Kenya Governor Dr. Patrick Njoroge. The MEFMI Secretariat is being represented by Mr Patrick Mutimba, the Director of the Financial Sector Management, Mrs Sipho Makamba the Programme Manager for the event and Mrs Yvonne Masimo the Administrative Assistant for the event. Mr John Mutisya and Ms Christine Onyango from the Retirement Benefits Authority will represent Kenya.