Irish Ambassador to Nigeria, Sean Hoy, has said that Irish
companies are planning to partner with Coronation Merchant Bank, and other
Nigerian companies in the areas of cyber security and Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) development.
Hoy said cyber security and financial tech are some of the areas
companies in Ireland could partner with Nigerian companies especially,
financial institutions.
The Ambassador revealed this during a courtesy visit to
Coronation Merchant Bank head office in Lagos.He said: “Today, we are one of
the leading countries in Fintech. We are working with banks all over the world
to provide financial solutions in a world that is becoming forever more
complex. The Cyber security we have discussed today, we have Irish companies
providing these specialised services. When I first came to Nigeria in 2014,
people were afraid to use credit card, now, people are using credit cards all
the time.”
While appreciating the possibility of doing business in
Nigeria, the Ambassador explained that his perception about the country did not
change until he came in 2014, which allowed him to now understand it better.
According to him, from abroad, Nigeria is seen as a very
high-risk market, but the situation differs when you get here. “You can do
business here and be successful,” he stated.
In his remarks, Managing Director/Chief Executive
Officer, Coronation Merchant Bank, Abubakar Jimoh, said the envoy’s
visit was focused on trade promotion, cyber technology, and strengthening
relationship with Irish companies in the country.
Jimoh said: “We are going to partner with them. We have already started with some Irish companies and vice versa. Just like he mentioned in the area of cyber technology that is an area as a financial institution we have to be strong. As an institution that is going to focus significantly on Fintech, our relationship with Irish company cannot be taken for granted.
Jimoh said: “We are going to partner with them. We have already started with some Irish companies and vice versa. Just like he mentioned in the area of cyber technology that is an area as a financial institution we have to be strong. As an institution that is going to focus significantly on Fintech, our relationship with Irish company cannot be taken for granted.
“As an investment bank, we advise institutions that are
either trying to come into Nigeria or do export into country like Ireland. We
are a very young merchant bank, as we grow bigger and get established,” he
said.
EmoticonEmoticon