CBN Vows to Promote Adoption of e-Naira, Sensitises Women on Benefits at UNILAG

Gilbert Ekugbe

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has taken the sensitisation drive of e-Naira to women during the Law Ladies Day programme at the University of

Lagos (UNILAG), Yaba Lagos.

The move according to the apex bank, is to further promote the adoption of e-Naira into the country’s Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), and to sensitise women, students, law students and other Nigerians who gathered for the 2023 Law Ladies Day programme.

In line with the Law Ladies Day programme themed: ‘Defying Stereotypes:

Celebrating the Different Shades of Femininity’, CBN used the occasion to reach out to students and others within the university campus to sensitise them on the benefits and importance of e-Naira transactions and why they should use the channel.

The Special Adviser Payment Systems to the Governor, Central Bank of

Nigeria, Mary Fasheitan, who took women through the importance of e-

Naira, advantages and opportunities the digital currency offers to the financial community and women, stated that it was high time women embraced e-Naira  for transactions.

According to her, e-Naira offers financial freedom and women inclusivity where other financial instruments do not provide and offers fast transaction time, cross board payment option and gives women financial inclusion.

She said: “e-Naira provides a unique form of money denominated in Naira. e-Naira serves as both a medium of exchange and a store of value, offering better payment prospects in retail transactions when compared to cash payments. It has an exclusive operational structure that is both remarkable and nothing like other forms of central bank money.”

She observed that the whole world was going digital, hence the CBN was responding appropriately to the innovation by introducing a lot of cashless policies, of which e-Naira is one, noting that the apex bank is the first to introduce e-Naira in Africa and only the second in the world.

Fasheitan encouraged female law students to embrace e-Naira and transact with it because it is safe, secure and fully digitalised.

“You have nothing to be afraid of because it is one of the most secured channels from the apex bank for transactions,” she assured.

Also speaking at the event, the Managing Partner of Hilton Top Solicitors,

Deborah Enyone Oni, said e-Naira remained a great innovation of CBN that should be lauded.

According to her, “e-Naira offers various advantages and opportunities to its

users. Its block chain technology feature also enables users to make cross

border transactions easily.”

She reiterated that the e-Naira will foster women financial and economic empowerment

Enyone Oni added: “We have partnered with the CBN on the e-Naira and

one of our main focuses is to leverage the opportunity to empower women

by sensitising them on the advantages of the e-Naira in light of digitalisation.”