Bernard J. Manneh said one of the priorities of the institute is to ensure the banking industry of The Gambia is staffed with professionals who are trained on banking and finance, at par with those of the advanced countries.
Mr Manneh made these remarks during an interview with The Point on Thursday at his office on Kairaba Avenue.
The IBG, which affiliated to the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, provides highly organised trainings in banking and finance from diploma to chartered level.
Mr Manneh said being a member of IBG will not only make one to be a professional banker in The Gambia but the person would also be recognised worldwide.
The institute is affiliated to other institutes like Alliance of African Institute of Bankers, World Conference of Banks.
“So as a member of the institute, you will be exposed to modern technics of banking through our resources in our upcoming website, you will be able to conduct research, and you will get new materials and learn how other banks are operating in the other parts of the world,” Mr Manneh said.
“This is an opportunity that did not exist in The Gambia,” he said further. By then, anybody who wants to be a chartered banker you have to travel to Ghana or Nigeria or other overseas countries with high fees.This is why the Gambia Bankers Association deemed it necessary to bring that training to The Gambia so that at home you will receive a qualification that you would only get outside at a much higher cost.
“People who have already received training on banking and finance should come forward to grab the opportunities at IBG so they can become professional bankers.
This will make them marketable not only in The Gambia but all over the world.”
IBG head of membership and education department said the institute continues its professional development, for those already in the banking industry, in collaboration with human resources managers of various banks.The institute conducts training every month on topics agreed by the human resource managers.
Mr Manneh said banking is a knowledge-based profession and as such practitioners cannot afford to be complacency.They ought to make sure that they keep abreast of new developments in the financial world.
This is why the institute of bankers was fully established in 2011 by the Gambia Bankers Association - an association of all the commercial banks operating in The Gambia.
The IBG is the training arm of the association and has a board of trustees comprising the governor Central Bank of The Gambia, the vice chancellor of the University of The Gambia, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, two managing directors of commercial banks, among others.