The Committee of e-Business Industry Heads (CeBIH) has said that the 2025 annual conference will seek a national agenda aimed at redefining financial inclusion through a cultural transformation in Nigeria's consumer credit system.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos ahead of the annual conference, scheduled to hold next week Tuesday and Wednesday in Lagos, the Chairman of CeBIH, Mr. Ajibade Laolu-Adewale, said the conference seeks to move the country beyond basic access to financial services toward meaningful economic empowerment.
He said: "Our objective is twofold, and it is audacious. First, we aim to spearhead a national mindset shift. We must collectively move from seeing credit as a debt trap to understanding it as a strategic tool for economic growth. The narrative must change from fear to opportunity, from aversion to responsibility.
"Credit, when used wisely, is not a burden; it is the capital that fuels education, entrepreneurship, and home ownership. It is the bridge between an idea and its execution, between a paycheck and a secured future.
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"Second, we are catalyzing an industry-wide transformation. This cultural shift cannot be driven by consumers alone. It requires a fundamental change in how we, the providers, operate. We are calling for a new era of responsible lending, built on transparency, fairness, and a genuine commitment to consumer financial health.
"This means using technology not just to assess risk, but to build trust. It means leveraging alternative data to give a financial identity to the millions of credit-worthy Nigerians who have been invisible to the traditional system.
The CeBIH Chairman announced that the 2025 Annual Conference, themed "Reimagining Financial Inclusion through Cultural Shifts in Consumer Credit," will bring together bankers, fintech innovators, regulators, policymakers, behavioural scientists, and government agencies to produce a practical blueprint for this transformation.
Speaking further, CeBIH Vice Chairman Mrs. Abidemi Asunmo said the conference was designed as a hands-on, solutions-driven platform. She disclosed that top government officials and industry leaders--including the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, the CEOs of Credicorp, NCGC, NIMC, and senior executives of major banks--will headline the opening session.
According to her, technical sessions will address critical pillars such as alternative data for credit scoring, consumer-centric product design for the informal sector, digital infrastructure for trust, and integrating financial literacy into lending practices. "This will not be another talk shop," Asunmo assured. "The outcomes will shape Nigeria's credit future."
She urged industry players, stakeholders, and the media to participate actively. "This is where the next frontier of financial inclusion will be defined," she said.
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CeBIH Advisory Council Members Push for Stronger Credit Culture, Inclusion
Also speaking, the Members of the CeBIH Advisory Council, Wunmi Ogunbiyi and Tunde Kuponiyi, said the conference will enhance deeper collaboration needed to facilitate a stronger credit culture, and accelerate financial inclusion as Nigeria pushes to expand consumer credit access.
Ogunbiyi said the evolution of the conference reflects the power of cooperation and the urgency of addressing credit realities facing everyday Nigerians. She noted that many people cannot access even small loans due to mistrust and weak structures in the financial system. According to her, credit goes beyond borrowing and must include data integrity, credit scoring, and stakeholder alignment across banks, fintechs, insurance, and consumer-protection institutions. She warned that poor repayment rates on past government schemes show that something fundamental is missing, stressing that the conference will confront real issues affecting individuals and businesses.
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Kuponiyi described the conference theme as timely, highlighting the transformation of banking into a technology-driven industry and the central role of digitization in scaling financial services. He stressed that financial inclusion is critical for economic growth, tax efficiency, and SME expansion, noting that millions of small businesses still operate without bank accounts. He said meaningful inclusion requires both economic improvement and cultural shifts that encourage responsible credit use, supported by technology for analysis, disbursement, and repayment.
