The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria and banking industry stakeholders have called on 1,857 new graduates of the institute to take advantage of its various innovative initiatives to enhance their personal and career development amid the disruption in the banking sector.

The President/Chairman of Council, CIBN, Ken Opara, joined other stakeholders to make the call at the 2022 CIBN graduates’ induction and prize awards day held on Saturday.

The event was themed, “Career Development in a Changing World: Strategies for Financial Services Professionals.”

According to Opara, the institute is resolute in its commitment to capacity building and value addition to its members and stakeholders.

The induction, an annual event of the institute, is the forum where student members who have completed their examinations and fulfilled other conditions set by the CIBN Governing Council are formally admitted into full professional membership of the institute.

He said, “Today, we live in a world characterised by the new normal. Change and massive disruption are understood to be the defining factors in how we live, work and operate.

“The global economy is buffeted by headwinds of change sweeping across national borders and traditional industry boundaries, the financial services industry is not exempted. Driving these changes are factors such as fintech, artificial intelligence, robotics, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, cloud computing and the Internet of Things.

“Essentially, technology has been the major driver of change. Therefore, the need for career development for professionals in today’s VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) world has become a very important subject that cannot be over-emphasised.”

The Managing Director, LOTUS Bank Limited, Kafilat Araoye, who was the distinguished guest speaker on the 2022 theme, described career development as the support an organisation provides to an employee’s career, professional and personal growth.