By SALISU SANI-IDRIS

The Federal Government has begun the implementation phase of its economic and financial inclusion strategy aimed at improving access to economic opportunities for Nigerians.

The Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Sen. Ibrahim Hadejia, said this at the inaugural meeting of the Technical Committee of the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion (PreCEFI).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday.

NAN reports that the Federal Government established an inter-agency task force to address challenges delaying President Bola Tinubu?s approved conditional cash transfers to 15 million vulnerable households.

The task force includes the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), National Social Safety-Nets Coordinating Office, National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS).

The mandate of the taskforce goal is to unlock bottlenecks and fast-track the distribution of critical financial support to Nigeria?s most vulnerable.

The meeting also endorsed steps to work with state governments in localising data from the Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access in Nigeria (EFInA) Access to Financial Services survey ? a biennial study conducted by the EFInA.

Hadejia explained that the meeting brought together high-level stakeholders from government agencies, financial institutions, and academia to align on the President?s vision and execution roadmap.

?We are off to a very good start. What has led to the success of what we?ve done so far is alignment and inclusive stakeholder engagement.

?Financial inclusion is not just about having a bank account?it means access to quality services, credit, and the visibility that digital platforms offer,? he said.

Hadejia cited recent discussions that were held at the World Bank Spring Meetings, noting that ?the whole conversation was about India.

?And what it has been able to achieve in lifting its population out of extreme poverty through financial inclusion.?

Earlier, the committee?s Secretary, Dr Nurudeen Zauro, said the meeting also approved PreCEFI?s strategic

roadmap and governance structure.

Zauro, who is also the Technical Advisor to the President on Financial Inclusion, said ? an inter-agency committee has been established to address delays in the disbursement of conditional cash transfers to 15 million households as mandated by Tinubu.

?We will be presenting the report to the National Economic Council and the Nigerian Governors Forum to ensure data is domesticated and acted upon at the subnational level.?

Also, Director-General of NIMC, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, explained that digital identity plays a foundational role in achieving inclusion goals.

?The beauty of the NIN is that it bridges the financial divide. It provides access to health, education, and agricultural services and strengthens national data infrastructure,? she said.

The Director of Consumer Protection and Financial Inclusion at the CBN, Dr Aisha Isa-Olatinwo, urged the committee to focus on implementable outcomes that serve those at the base of the pyramid.

According to her, financial inclusion is one of the eight reform pillars of the President?s agenda.

The Dean of the Lagos Business School, Prof. Olayinka David-West, said the meeting was solution-oriented.

?We identified key challenges impacting the achievement of the President?s Renewed Hope Agenda and how we would use our collective wisdom to solve the problems.

?Economic and financial inclusion is every Nigeria?s problem,? she said. (NAN)

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