The “eNaira,” Africa’s first Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), was formally introduced by President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Aso Villa, on Monday, October 25, 2021. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced a calendar of events to mark the first anniversary of the launch.
According to a statement by the bank’s head of corporate communications, Osita Nwanisobi, the introduction of the eNaira had elevated Nigeria to the status of one of the forerunners in the deployment of a CBDC into live production.
The IMF, the World Bank, other Central Banks, and the CBDC community, according to the statement, have all continued to show interest in this.
The CBN will hold a one-day workshop with the theme “Leveraging Innovation for Inclusive Growth and Development: The eNaira Advantage” on Tuesday, October 25, 2022 at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos as part of the events planned to commemorate the first anniversary of the eNaira, according to the statement.
The workshop’s goals include reviewing the eNaira implementation process a year after it began, encouraging greater eNaira adoption through public outreach, and facilitating a worldwide policy conversation on CBDC to encourage peer learning and benchmarking.
The governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, will serve as the event’s host, and the ministers of communication and digital economy as well as humanitarian affairs will serve as speakers.
Other notable attendees at the event include the CEOs of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS), Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), and National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), members of the Bankers’ Committee, academic institutions, financial services regulators, telecommunications regulators, businesspeople, agents, cooperative groups, and technical experts, as well as representatives from the entertainment industry.
A panel discussion on “eNaira Adoption for Economic Growth” and a policy round-table discussion on “Effective Collaboration for National Development (Infrastructure, Interoperability, Regulation)” will also be part of the event.
As a result, the CBN urged Nigerians to take part in the celebration, which will be broadcast live on the bank’s and the eNaira’s social media channels. Additionally, it advised people to register for the course at www.enaira365days.com by going to the website.