African Information Technology Exhibitions and Conferences (AITEC) in association with several other stake holders in the banking and financial sector in Africa, will host a cutting-edge banking technology exhibition and conference in Nairobi from 27 to 28 November 2001.
Dubbed Finance IT, and with a theme "Advancing the eReadiness of Africa`s Banking & Financial Services Sector", the event has generated a lot of interests both within and outside Africa.
The continent`s slow e-commerce development has been partially blamed on the banking sector`s slow adoption of technology and ignorance on what technology can offer. However, it is an open secret that the continent`s banking sector has a crucial role to play in developing Africa`s participation in the global e-commerce market. In addition, with increased levels of competition in the banking and financial services sector, it is vital for IT professionals and managers in financial institutions to be fully informed of latest technological and strategic developments.
"This is the first major banking technology event in sub-Sahara Africa and will mark the beginning of a continuous effort by AITEC to develop cutting-edge IT events for different professionals in Africa," said Sean Moroney, Group Chairman of AITEC. "In this median event, we will be working with the Central Bank of Kenya and are still inviting other stake holders to join forces with us," Moroney continued.
The three-day event will offer technology briefings for strategic positioning for commercial banks, merchant banks, national and regional banking institutions, central banks finance ministries, investment funds and treasury departments in corporations. The event will also have hands-on workshops for the technically savvy, to demonstrate the availability and capacity of technology in various banking chores.
A host of local and international speakers with bundles of experience have been lined up to make presentations. Notable ones include Barnard Matthewman, CEO of African Lakes Technologies, the e-business arm of Africa Lakes PLC; Brett Kumm, the iSeries Regional Manager for Africa and the Middle East; and Graham Bendell, Director of Operations of the Smart Card Society of Southern Africa, among others.
According to the conference co-ordinator, Harry Hare, who is also the Executive Director at AITEC, the conference is designed to appeal to both IT professionals and business managers within the banking and financial sector. "We have designed the conference to suit both the IT professional and business mangers with this sector taking into consideration that business decisions have become a product of IT," said Hare.
The conference is divided into three distinct areas, Policy and Management Issues, Technology Trends and Applications and Regulatory issues that relate to banking technology. Three workshops have also been planned which will be facilitated by different companies. A smart card workshop will be facilitated by The Smart Card Association of South Africa, and an XML workshop will be done by Integrated Management Consultants Limited, a local corporate training solutions company, and Internet banking workshop done by African Lakes Technologies.
The conference is running in tandem with an exhibition by technology companies from Kenya, SA and Europe. Some of the companies that have already confirmed participation include Midas Kapiti International, Simba Technologies, Fintech/I-Flex, Africanlakes Technologies, Data Card and ICL. All the technology on display at the expo will be target to the banking and financial markets, and will include high-end servers, security products, transaction processing systems, online banking systems, Internet banking systems and branch networking products.
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