Patrick Njoroge: Opening remarks - "People and talent – harnessing collaboration in pursuit of resilience and growth post COVID-19"

Opening remarks by Dr Patrick Njoroge, Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya, at the Afro-Asia Fintech Festival (AAFF) Nairobi Online City, in partnership with the 2020 Singapore Fintech Festival, 7 December 2020.

The views expressed in this speech are those of the speaker and not the view of the BIS.

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good evening! It is a great honour for the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) to host the Nairobi Online City, an iteration of the Afro-Asia Fintech Festival (AAFF) launched in 2019. The AAFF Nairobi Online City is part of the 2020 Singapore Fintech Festival (SFF). CBK is therefore honoured to join the global community of Central Banks, governments, financial institutions, fintechs, and other players to deliberate and reflect on the theme of "People and Talent: Harnessing Collaboration in Pursuit of Resilience and Growth Post COVID-19.''

At the outset, let me express CBK's gratitude to the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) for allowing CBK and almost 40 other cities to partner in expanding the reach of the virtual 2020 SFF. I also appreciate all our partners and service providers who have worked with us to make this event a reality.

2020 has been an exceptional year dominated by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Our lives and livelihoods have dramatically changed as Governments, businesses and citizens globally sought to contain the pandemic.