The Banking Institute of Liberia (BIL), the training arm of the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL), and the Liberia Banker Association (LBA), through its Professional Development Training Program and Business Enterprise Development Initiative, over the weekend graduated 165 professionals in the banking and financial sector to improve effective, efficient and quality service delivery in the Liberian economy.
The graduation ceremony, which was held at the Monrovia Christian Fellowship Church on Saturday, January 31, 2025 brought together financial experts from the Ministry of Finance, Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) and professional private financial experts and graduates, as well as family members.
BIL provides two types of career development courses: professional development training program and business development program, which aim to upgrade the professional skills of financial stakeholders in the banking, finance and development sector, and also provide the necessary knowledge for people wishing entry into the sectors.
Furthermore, the BIL provides cutting-edge training and support to improve the managerial and administrative professional competence of staffers in the banking and financial sector, including banking and financial service in the country.
Following approximately eight months of intensive training, the graduates got diplomas in banking and finance, internal audit and controls, procurement and supply chain management, monitoring and evaluation, marketing management, digital banking and marketing, compliance and corporate risk management, human resource and customer relationship management, office administration and organization management, public accounting and finance, work planning and report writing, and computerized accounting.
Giving his special message, the Executive Director/ Director General of BIL Assistant Professor, Richard S. Panton, said the graduation brings to an end the second training circle, for which they are excited to graduate 165 successful candidates in the banking and financial sector.
According to him, the BIL enterprise program is intended to strengthen and build the capacity of those who also have interest in working in the financial and banking sector and other sectors of the economy. He used the opportunity to call on the graduates to demonstrate integrity, maintained professionalism and effective and efficient customer service delivery.
He said given the youthful population of Liberia, it is important that the Government of Liberia (GOL), through the Ministry of Education, introduce life-skill education to defeat poverty and eliminate youth unemployment.
“Today is yet another day to say thanks to God for achieving another milestone. We want to extend our profound appreciation to the Central Bank of Liberia and the Liberia Banker Association for their continued support to the work of the institution. This support is a driven manifestation to build capacity to improve performance, and render effective and efficient service in the banking and financial sector of the Liberian economy,” he observed.
Delivering the keynote address on behalf of the Central Bank of Liberia’s Executive governor-designate, the Technical Advisor to the Governor, Musa Kamara, expressed appreciation and excitement to BIL for continuing to educate and strengthen individuals in the banking and financial sector.
He assured the CBL commitment to aiding the Banking Institute to enable Liberians to take over the banking and financial sector, adding that they have seen a lot of foreign banks coming in the country with foreign staff.
“So, when we saw that, we knew that it was never the future that we needed and so we created the BIL to train individuals who will take over the banking and financial sector’s administrative and managerial component. Now, I am excited to see this moving to a greater height, with Liberians being trained to take over the sector with integrity and professionalism,” he noted.
